A Gentle Introduction To GIS

A Gentle Introduction to GIS
Brought to you with Quantum GIS, a Free and Open Source

Software GIS Application for everyone.
T. Sutton, O. Dassau, M. Sutton
sponsored by:
Chief Directorate: Spatial Planning & Information, Department of Land
Affairs, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
in partnership with:
Spatial Information Management Unit, Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape,
South Africa.
Copyright information
c 2009
Copyright Chief Directorate: Spatial Planning & Information, Department of
Land Affairs, Eastern Cape.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the
terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version pub-
lished by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover
Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in section 10
entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
The above copyright notice excludes the QGIS User Manual which may be appended to
this document. Consult the QGIS Manuals for further copyright and licensing infor-
mation.
A word from the editor
This project was sponsored by the Chief Directorate: Spatial Planning & Information, Department
of Land Affairs (DLA), Eastern Cape, in conjunction with the Spatial Information Management Unit,
Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
GIS is becoming an increasingly important tool in environmental management, retail, military, police,
tourism and many other spheres of our daily lives. If you use a computer or a cell phone, you have
probably already used a GIS in some form without even realising it. Maybe it was a map on a web
site, Google Earth, an information booth or your cell phone telling you where you are. Proprietary GIS
software (software that cannot be freely shared or modified) is available that will let you do everything
we describe in these worksheets and a lot more. However this software is usually very expensive or
otherwise limits your freedom to copy, share and modify the software. GIS vendors sometimes make
an exception for educational activities, providing cheaper or free copies of their software. They do
this knowing that if teachers and learners get to know their software, they will be reluctant to learn
other packages. When learners leave school they will go into the workplace and buy the commercial
software, never knowing that there are free alternatives that they could be using.
With Quantum GIS, we offer an alternative - software that is free of cost and free in a social sense.
You can make as many copies as you like. When learners leave school one day they can use this
software to build their skills, solve problems at work and make the world a better place.
When you buy commercial software, you limit your options for the future. By learning, using and
sharing Free and Open Source Software, you are building your own skills, freeing money to be spent
on important things like food and shelter and boosting our own economy.
By sponsoring the creation of this resource, the DLA has created a foundation to which young minds
can be exposed. Exciting possibilities lie ahead when principles of free sharing of knowledge and
data are embraced. For this we give our heartfelt thanks to the DLA!
We hope you enjoy using and learning QGIS in the spirit of Ubuntu!
Tim Sutton, April 2009

Contents
Title i
Copyright information ii
A word from the editor iii
Table of Contents iv
1 Introducing GIS 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
More about GIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What is GIS Software / a GIS Application? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Getting a GIS Application for your own computer(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
GIS Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What have we learned? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Something to think about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Vector Data 9
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Point features in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Polyline features in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Polygon features in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Vector data in layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Editing vector data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Scale and vector data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Symbology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What can we do with vector data in a GIS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Common problems with vector data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3 Vector Attribute Data 21

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Attributes in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Single Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Graduated Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Continuous Colour Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Unique Value Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Things to be aware of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4 Data Capture 34
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How does GIS digital data get stored? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Planning before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Creating an empty shapefile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Adding data to your shapefile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Heads-up digitising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Digitising using a digitising table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Common problems / things to be aware of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
5 Raster Data 47
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Raster data in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Georeferencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Sources of raster data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Spatial Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Spectral resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Raster to vector conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Vector to raster conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Raster analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6 Topology 56
A Gentle Introduction to GIS v

Contents
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Topology errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Topology rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Topological tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Snapping distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Search Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
7 Coordinate Reference Systems 62

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Map Projection in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
The three families of map projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Accuracy of map projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Map projections with angular conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Map projections with equal distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Projections with equal areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Coordinate Reference System (CRS) in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Geographic Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Projected coordinate reference systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) CRS in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
On-The-Fly Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
8 Map Production 75
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Map Title in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Map Border in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Map Legend in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
North arrow in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Scale in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Acknowledgment in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Graticule in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
A Gentle Introduction to GIS vi

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Name of the map projection in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
9 Vector Spatial Analysis (Buffers) 83

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Buffering in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Variations in buffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Multiple buffer zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Buffering with intact or dissolved boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Buffering outward and inward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
More spatial analysis tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
10 Spatial Analysis (Interpolation) 91

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Spatial interpolation in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Other interpolation methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Now you try! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
What’s next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Authors and Contributors 98
GNU Free Documentation License 99
A Gentle Introduction to GIS vii

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
1 Introducing GIS
Objectives: Understanding what GIS is and

what it can be used for.
Keywords: GIS, Computer, Maps, Data, Infor-

mation System, Spatial, Analysis
Overview
Just as we use a word processor to write documents and deal with words on a computer, we can use
a GIS application to deal with spatial information on a computer. GIS stands for ’Geographical
Information System’. A GIS consists of:
• Digital Data - the geographical information that you will view and analyse using computer hard-
ware and software.
• Computer Hardware - computers used for storing data, displaying graphics and processing
data.
• Computer Software - computer programs that run on the computer hardware and allow you to
work with digital data. A software program that forms part of the GIS is called a GIS Application.
With a GIS application you can open digital maps on your computer, create new spatial information
to add to a map, create printed maps customised to your needs and perform spatial analysis.
Let’s look at a little example of how GIS can be useful. Imagine you are a health worker and you
make a note of the date and place of residence of every patient you treat.
Table 1: Notes of date and place of residence of patients
Longitude Latitude Disease Date

26.870436 -31.909519 Mumps 13/12/2008
26.868682 -31.909259 Mumps 24/12/2008
26.867707 -31.910494 Mumps 22/01/2009
26.854908 -31.920759 Measles 11/01/2009
26.855817 -31.921929 Measles 26/01/2009
26.852764 -31.921929 Measles 10/02/2009
26.852764 -31.921929 Measles 22/02/2009
26.869072 -31.911988 Mumps 02/02/2009
26.863354 -31.916406 Chicken Pox 26/02/2009
A Gentle Introduction to GIS 1

1 INTRODUCING GIS
If you look at the table above you will quickly see that there were a lot of measles cases in January
and February. Our health worker recorded the location of each patient’s house by noting its latitude
and longitude in the table. Using this data in a GIS Application, we can quickly understand a lot more
about the patterns of illness:
Figure 1: Example showing disease records in a GIS application. It is easy to see that the mumps patients all
live close to each other.
More about GIS
GIS is a relatively new field - it started in the 1970’s. It used to be that computerised GIS was
only available to companies and universities that had expensive computer equipment. These days,
anyone with a personal computer or laptop can use GIS software. Over time GIS Applications have
also become easier to use - it used to require a lot of training to use a GIS Application, but now it is
much easier to get started in GIS even for amateurs and casual users. As we described above, GIS

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
is more than just software, it refers to all aspects of managing and using digital geographical data. In
the tutorials that follow we will be focusing on GIS Software.
What is GIS Software / a GIS Application?
You can see an example of what a GIS Application looks like in Figure 1 above. GIS Applications
are normally programs with a graphical user interface that can be manipulated using the mouse and
keyboard. The application provides menus near to the top of the window (File, Edit etc.) which, when
clicked using the mouse, show a panel of actions. These actions provide a way for you to tell the
GIS Application what you want to do. For example you may use the menus to tell the GIS Application
to add a new layer to the display output.
Figure 2: Application menus, when clicked with the mouse, expand to show a list of actions that can be carried
out.
Toolbars (rows of small pictures that can be clicked with the mouse) normally sit just below the
menus and provide a quicker way to use frequently needed actions.
Figure 3: Toolbars provide quick access to commonly used functions. Holding your mouse over a picture will
usually tell you what will happen when you click on it.
A common function of GIS Applications is to display map layers. Map layers are stored as files on a
disk or as records in a database. Normally each map layer will represent something in the real world
- a roads layer for example will have data about the street network.
When you open a layer in the GIS Application it will appear in the map view. The map view shows

1 INTRODUCING GIS
a graphic representing your layer. When you add more than one layer to a map view, the layers are
overlaid on top of each other. Figure 4 below shows a map view that has several layers being added
to it. An important function of the map view is to allow you to zoom in to magnify, zoom out to see a
greater area and move around (panning) in the map.
Figure 4: A map view with several layers being added to it
(a) A towns layer added to the map view (b) A schools layer added to the map view
(c) A railways layer added to the map view (d) A rivers layer added to the map view
Unlike paper maps, the maps displayed in GIS Applications can be changed after they have been
created. You can change the symbology of the map layers to make them appear in different colours
or symbols.
For example, if we take the map in Figure 4(d) and change the symbology, we can completely change
how it looks - as shown in Figure 5. Symbology plays an important role in how we interpret maps,
and GIS Applications are very good at letting you change symbology quickly and easily.
Another common feature of GIS Applications is the map legend. The map legend provides a list of
layers that have been loaded in the GIS Application. Unlike a paper map legend, the map legend or
’layers list’ in the GIS Application provides a way to re-order, hide, show and group layers. Changing
the layer order is done by clicking on a layer in the legend, holding the mouse button down and then
dragging the layer to a new position. In Figure 6, the map legend is shown as the area to the left
of the GIS Application window. By changing the layer order, the way that layers are drawn can be
adjusted - in this case so that rivers are drawn over the roads instead of below them.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 5: GIS Software let you easily change symbology - the way information is displayed.
Figure 6: Changing the layer order allows to adjust the way that layers are drawn
(a) Before changing the layer order, rivers are drawn (b) After changing the layer order, rivers are drawn on
underneath roads top of roads
Getting a GIS Application for your own computer(s)
There are many different GIS Applications available. Some have many sophisticated features and
cost tens of thousands of Rands for each copy. In other cases, you can obtain a GIS Application for
free. Deciding which GIS Application to use is a question of how much money you can afford and
personal preference. For these tutorials, we will be using the Quantum GIS Application, also known
as QGIS. Quantum GIS is completely free and you can copy it and share it with your friends as much
as you like. If you received this tutorial in printed form, you should have received a copy of QGIS with
it. If not, you can always visit http://qgis.org to download your free copy if you have access to the
internet.

1 INTRODUCING GIS
GIS Data
Now that we know what a GIS is and what a GIS Application can do, let’s talk about GIS data. Data is
another word for information. The information we use in a GIS normally has a geographical aspect to
it. Think of our example above, about the health care worker. She created a table to record diseases
that looked like this:
Table 2: Example from table 1 with date and place of residence of patients
Longitude Latitude Disease Date

26.870436 -31.909519 Mumps 13/12/2008
The longitude and latitude columns hold geographical data. The disease and date columns hold
non-geographical data. A common feature of GIS is that they allow you to associate information
(non-geographical data) with places (geographical data). In fact, the GIS Application can store many
pieces of information which are associated with each place - something that paper maps are not
very good at. For example, our health care worker could store the person’s age and gender on her
table. When the GIS Application draws the layer, you can tell it to draw the layer based on gender, or
based on disease type, and so on. So, with a GIS Application we have a way to easily change the
appearance of the maps we created based on the non-geographical data associated with places.
GIS Systems work with many different types of data. Vector data is stored as a series of X,Y
coordinate pairs inside the computer’s memory. Vector data is used to represent points, lines and
areas. Figure 7 shows different types of vector data being viewed in a GIS application. In the tutorials
that follow we will be exploring vector data in more detail.
Figure 7: Vector data is used to represent points (e.g. towns), lines (e.g. rivers) and polygons (e.g. municipal
boundaries).

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Raster data are stored as a grid of values. There are many satellites circling the earth and the
photographs they take are a kind of raster data that can be viewed in a GIS. One important difference
between raster and vector data is that if you zoom in too much on a raster image, it will start to appear
’blocky’ (see Figure 8). In fact these blocks are the individual cells of the data grid that makes up the
raster image. We will be looking at raster data in greater detail in later tutorials.
Figure 8: Zoom in to see the individual cells of the data grid that makes up the raster image.
(a) Raster data are often images taken by satellites. (b) The same raster data, but this time zoomed in. The
Here we can see mountains in the Eastern Cape. grid nature of the data can be seen
What have we learned?
Let’s wrap up what we covered in this worksheet:
• A GIS is a system of computer hardware, computer software and geographical data.

• A GIS Application allows you to view geographical data and is an important part of the GIS.
• A GIS Application normally consists of a menu bar, toolbars, a map view and a legend.
• Vector and raster data are geographical data used in a GIS application.
• Geographical data can have associated non-geographical data.
Now you try!
Here are some ideas for you to try with your learners:
• Geography: Describe the concept of GIS to your learners as outlined in this tutorial. Ask them
to try to think of 3 reasons why it might be handy to use a GIS instead of paper maps. Here are
some that we could think of:

1 INTRODUCING GIS
– GIS Applications allow you to create many different types of maps from the same data.
– GIS is a great visualisation tool that can show you things about your data and how they
are related in space (e.g. those disease outbreaks we saw earlier).
– Paper maps need to be filed and are time consuming to view. The GIS can hold a very
large amount of map data and make it quick and easy to find a place you are interested in.
• Geography: Can you and your learners think of how raster data from satellites could be useful?
Here are some ideas we had:
– During natural disasters, raster data can be useful to show where the impacted areas are.
For example a recent satellite image taken during a flood can help to show where people
may need rescuing.
– Sometimes people do bad things to the the environment, like dumping dangerous chem-
icals that kill plants and animals. Using raster data from satellites can help us to monitor
for these type of problems.
– Town planners can use raster data from satellites to see where informal settlements are
and to help in planning infrastructure.
Something to think about
If you don’t have a computer available, many of the topics we cover in this tutorial can be reproduced
using an overhead and transparency as it uses the same technique of layering information. However,
to properly understand GIS it is always better to learn it using a computer.
Further reading
Book: Desktop GIS: Mapping the Planet with Open Source Tools. Author: Gary Sherman. ISBN:
9781934356067 [? ]
Website: http://www.gisdevelopment.net/tutorials/tuman006.htm
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on working with QGIS.
What’s next?
In the sections that follow we are going to go into more detail, showing you how to use a GIS Appli-
cation. All of the tutorials will be done using QGIS. Next up, let’s look at vectors!

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
2 Vector Data
Objectives: Understanding of vector data mod-

els as used in GIS.
Keywords: Vector, Point, Polyline, Polygon,

Vertex, Geometry, Scale, Data,
Quality, Symbology, Data Sources
Overview
Vector data provide a way to represent real world features within the GIS environment. A feature is
anything you can see on the landscape. Imagine you are standing on the top of a hill. Looking down
you can see houses, roads, trees, rivers, and so on (see Figure 9). Each one of these things would
be a feature when we represent them in a GIS Application. Vector features have attributes, which
consist of text or numerical information that describe the features.
Figure 9: Looking over a landscape you can see the main features, such as roads, houses and trees.
A vector feature has its shape represented using geometry. The geometry is made up of one or
more interconnected vertices. A vertex describes a position in space using an x, y and optionally z

2 VECTOR DATA
axis. Geometries which have vertices with a z axis are often referred to as 2.5D since they describe
height or depth at each vertex, but not both.
When a feature’s geometry consists of only a single vertex, it is referred to as a point feature (see
Figure 10a). Where the geometry consists of two or more vertices and the first and last vertex are
not equal, a polyline feature is formed (see Figure 10b). Where four or more vertices are present,
and the last vertex is equal to the first, an enclosed polygon feature is formed (see Figure 10c).
Figure 10: Vector point, polyline and polygon geometries
(a) A point feature is described by its (b) A polyline is a sequence of joined (c) A polygon, like a polyline, is a se-
X, Y and optionally Z coordinate. The vertices. Each vertex has an X, Y (and quence of vertices. However in a poly-
point attributes describe the point e.g. optionally Z) coordinate. Attributes de- gon, the first and last vertices are al-
if it is a tree or a lamp post. scribe the polyline. ways at the same position.
Looking back at the picture of a landscape we showed you further up, you should be able to see the
different types of features in the way that a GIS represents them now (see Figure 11).
Point features in detail
The first thing we need to realise when talking about point features is that what we describe as a
point in GIS is a matter of opinion, and often dependent on scale. let’s look at cities for example. If
you have a small scale map (which covers a large area), it may make sense to represent a city using
a point feature. However as you zoom in to the map, moving towards a larger scale, it makes more
sense to show the city limits as a polygon.
When you choose to use points to represent a feature is mostly a matter of scale (how far away are
you from the feature), convenience (it takes less time and effort to create point features than polygon
features), and the type of feature (some things like telephone poles just don’t make sense to be stored

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
as polygons).
Figure 11: Landscape features as we would present them in a GIS. Rivers (blue) and roads (green) can be
represented as lines, trees as points (red) and houses as polygons (white).
As we show in Illustration 2, a point feature has an X,Y and optionally, Z value. The X and Y values
will depend on the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) being used. We are going to go into more
detail about Coordinate Reference Systems in a later tutorial. For now let’s simply say that a CRS
is a way to accurately describe where a particular place is on the earth’s surface. One of the most
common reference systems is Longitude and Latitude. Lines of Longitude run from the North Pole
to the South Pole. Lines of Latitude run from the East to West. You can describe precisely where you
are at any place on the earth by giving someone your Longitude (X) and Latitude (Y). If you make a
similar measurement for a tree or a telephone pole and marked it on a map, you will have created a
point feature.
Since we know the earth is not flat, it is often useful to add a Z value to a point feature. This describes
how high above sea level you are.
Polyline features in detail
Where a point feature is a single vertex, a polyline has two or more vertices. The polyline is a
continuous path drawn through each vertex, as shown in Illustration 3 above). When two vertices are

2 VECTOR DATA
joined, a line is created. When more than two are joined, they form a ’line of lines’, or polyline.
A polyline is used to show the geometry of linear features such as roads, rivers, contours, footpaths,
flight paths and so on. Sometimes we have special rules for polylines in addition to their basic
geometry. For example contour lines may touch (e.g. at a cliff face) but should never cross over
each other. Similarly, polylines used to store a road network should be connected at intersections. In
some GIS applications you can set these special rules for a feature type (e.g. roads) and the GIS will
ensure that these polylines always comply to these rules.
If a curved polyline has very large distances between vertices, it may appear angular or jagged,
depending on the scale at which it is viewed (see Figure 12). Because of this it is important that
polylines are digitised (captured into the computer) with distances between vertices that are small
enough for the scale at which you want to use the data.
The attributes of a polyline decribe its properties or characteristics. For example a road polyline may
have attributes that describe whether it is surfaced with gravel or tar, how many lanes it has, whether
it is a one way street, and so on. The GIS can use these attributes to symbolise the polyline feature
with a suitable colour or line style.
Figure 12: Polylines viewed at a smaller scale (1:20 000 to the left) may appear smooth and curved. When
zoomed in to a larger scale (1:500 to the right) polylines may look very angular.
Polygon features in detail
Polygon features are enclosed areas like dams, islands, country boundaries and so on. Like polyline
features, polygons are created from a series of vertices that are connected with a continuous line.
However because a polygon always describes an enclosed area, the first and last vertices should al-
ways be at the same place! Polygons often have shared geometry - boundaries that are in common
with a neighbouring polygon. Many GIS applications have the capability to ensure that the bound-
aries of neighbouring polygons exactly coincide. We will explore this in the topology topic later in

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
this tutorial.
As with points and polylines, polygons have attributes. The attributes describe each polygon. For
example a dam may have attributes for depth and water quality.
Vector data in layers
Now that we have described what vector data is, let’s look at how vector data is managed and used
in a GIS environment. Most GIS applications group vector features into layers. Features in a layer
have the the same geometry type (e.g. they will all be points) and the same kinds of attributes (e.g.
information about what species a tree is for a trees layer). For example if you have recorded the
positions of all the footpaths in your school, they will usually be stored together on the computer hard
disk and shown in the GIS as a single layer. This is convenient because it allows you to hide or show
all of the features for that layer in your GIS application with a single mouse click.
Editing vector data
The GIS application will allow you to create and modify the geometry data in a layer - a process called
digitising - which we will look at more closely in a later tutorial. If a layer contains polygons (e.g.
farm dams), the GIS application will only allow you to create new polygons in that layer. Similarly if
you want to change the shape of a feature, the application will only allow you to do it if the changed
shape is correct. For example it won’t allow you to edit a line in such a way that it has only one vertex
- remember in our discussion of lines above that all lines must have at least two vertices.
Creating and editing vector data is an important function of a GIS since it is one of the main ways
in which you can create personal data for things you are interested in. Say for example you are
monitoring pollution in a river. You could use the GIS to digitise all outfalls for storm water drains (as
point features). You could also digitise the river itself (as a polyline feature). Finally you could take
readings of pH levels along the course of the river and digitise the places where you made these
readings (as a point layer).
As well as creating your own data, there is a lot of free vector data that you can obtain and use.
For example, you can obtain vector data that appears on the 1:50 000 map sheets from the Chief
Directorate : Surveys and Mapping.
Scale and vector data
Map scale is an important issue to consider when working with vector data in a GIS. When data is
captured, it is usually digitised from existing maps, or by taking information from surveyor records
and global positioning system devices. Maps have different scales, so if you import vector data from

2 VECTOR DATA
a map into a GIS environment (for example by digitising paper maps), the digital vector data will have
the same scale issues as the original map. This effect can be seen in Figure 13. Many issues can
arise from making a poor choice of map scale. For example using the vector data in Figure 13a to
plan a wetland conservation area could result in important parts of the wetland being left out of the
reserve! On the other hand if you are trying to create a regional map, using data captured at 1:1000
000 might be just fine and will save you a lot of time and effort capturing the data.
Figure 13: Maps with different scales
(a) Vector data (red lines) that was digitised from a (b) Vector data (green lines) that was digitised from a
small scale (1:1000 000) map. large scale (1:50 000) map.
Symbology
When you add vector layers to the map view in a GIS application, they will be drawn with random
colours and basic symbols. One of the great advantages of using a GIS is that you can create
personalised maps very easily. The GIS program will let you choose colours to suite the feature type
(e.g. you can tell it to draw a water bodies vector layer in blue). The GIS will also let you adjust the
symbol used. So if you have a trees point layer, you can show each tree position with a small picture
of a tree, rather than the basic circle marker that the GIS uses when you first load the layer (see
Figure 14).
Symbology is a powerful feature, making maps come to life and the data in your GIS easier to un-
derstand. In the topic that follows (working with attribute data) we will explore more deeply how
symbology can help the user to understand vector data.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 14: How can you adjust the symbology of vector features
(a) In the GIS, you can use a panel (like the one above) to adjust how features in your
layer should be drawn.
(b) When a layer (for example the trees layer above) (c) After making our adjustments it is much easier to
is first loaded, a GIS application will give it a generic see that our points represent trees.
symbol.

2 VECTOR DATA
What can we do with vector data in a GIS?
At the simplest level we can use vector data in a GIS Application in much the same way you would
use a normal topographic map. The real power of GIS starts to show itself when you start to ask
questions like ’which houses are within the 100 year flood level of a river?’; ’where is the best place
to put a hospital so that it is easily accessible to as many people as possible?’; ’which learners live
in a particular suburb?’. A GIS is a great tool for answering these types of questions with the help
of vector data. Generally we refer to the process of answering these types of questions as spatial
analysis. In later topics of this tutorial we will look at spatial analysis in more detail.
Common problems with vector data
Working with vector data does have some problems. We already mentioned the issues that can arise
with vectors captured at different scales. Vector data also needs a lot of work and maintenance to
ensure that it is accurate and reliable. Inaccurate vector data can occur when the instruments used
to capture the data are not properly set up, when the people capturing the data aren’t being careful,
when time or money don’t allow for enough detail in the collection process, and so on. If you have
poor quality vector data, you can often detect this when viewing the data in a GIS. For example slivers
can occur when the edges of two polygon areas don’t meet properly (see Figure 15). Overshoots
can occur when a line feature such as a road does not meet another road exactly at an intersection.
Undershoots can occur when a line feature (e.g. a river) does not exactly meet another feature to
which it should be connected. Figure 16 demonstrates what undershoots and overshoots look like.
Because of these types of errors, it is very important to digitise data carefully and accurately. In the
upcoming topic on topology, we will examine some of these types of errors in more detail.
Figure 15: Slivers occur when the vertices of two polygons do not match up on their borders. At a small scale
(e.g. 1 on left) you may not be able to see these errors. At a large scale they are visible as thin strips between
two polygons (2 on right).

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 16: Undershoots (1) occur when digitised vector lines that should connect to each other don’t quite
touch. Overshoots (2) happen if a line ends beyond the line it should connect to.
• Vector data is used to represent real world features in a GIS.

• A vector feature can have a geometry type of point, line or a polygon.
• Each vector feature has attribute data that describes it.
• Feature geometry is described in terms of vertices.
• Point geometries are made up of a single vertex (X,Y and optionally Z).
• Polyline geometries are made up of two or more vertices forming a connected line.
• Polygon geometries are made up of at least four vertices forming an enclosed area. The first
and last vertices are always in the same place.
• Choosing which geometry type to use depends on scale, convenience and what you want to do
with the data in the GIS.
• Most GIS applications do not allow you to mix more than one geometry type in a single layer.
• Digitising is the process of creating digital vector data by drawing it in a GIS application.
• Vector data can have quality issues such as undershoots, overshoots and slivers which you
need to be aware of.
• Vector data can be used for spatial analysis in a GIS application, for example to find the
nearest hospital to a school.
• We have summarised the GIS Vector Data concept in Figure 17.

2 VECTOR DATA
Figure 17: This diagram shows how GIS applications deal with vector data.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Now you try!
• Using a copy of a toposheet map for your local area (like the one shown in Figure 18), see if
your learners can identify examples of the different types of vector data by highlighting them on
the map.
• Think of how you would create vector features in a GIS to represent real world features on your
school grounds. Create a table of different features in and around your school and then task
your learners to decide whether they would be best represented in the GIS as a point, line or
polygon. See Table 1 below for an example.
Figure 18: Can you identify two point features and one polygon feature on this map?
Table 3: Create a table like this (leaving the geometry type column empty) and ask your learners to decide on
suitable geometry types.
Real world feature Suitable Geometry Type

The school flagpole
The soccer field
The footpaths in an around the school
Places where taps are located
Etc.

2 VECTOR DATA
If you don’t have a computer available, you can use a toposheet and transparency sheets to show
your learners about vector data.
Further reading
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on working with vector data in QGIS.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at attribute data to see how it can be used to
describe vector features.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
3 Vector Attribute Data
Objectives: In this topic we describe how at-

tribute data are associated with
vector features and can be used to
symbolise data.
Keywords: Attribute, database, fields, data,

vector, symbology
Overview
If every line on a map was the same colour, width, thickness, and had the same label, it would be
very hard to make out what was going on. The map would also give us very little information. Take a
look at Figure 19 below for example.
Figure 19: Maps come to life when colour and different symbols are used to help you to tell one type of feature
from the next. Can you tell the difference between rivers, roads and contours using the map on the left? Using
the map on the right it is much easier to see the different features.
In this topic we will look at how attribute data can help us to make interesting and informative maps.
In the previous topic on vector data, we briefly explained that attribute data are used to describe
vector features. Take a look at the house pictures in Figure 20 below.
The geometry of these house features is a polygon (based on the floor plan of the house), the
attributes we have recorded are roof colour, whether there is a balcony, and the year the house was
built. Note that attributes don’t have to be visible things - they can describe things we know about
the feature such as the year it was built. In a GIS Application, we can represent this feature type in a
houses polygon layer, and the attributes in an attribute table (see Figure 21).

3 VECTOR ATTRIBUTE DATA
Figure 20: Every feature has characteristics that we can describe. These can be visible things, or things we
know about the feature (e.g. year built).
Figure 21: A houses layer. House features have attributes that describe the houses’ roof colour and other
properties. The attribute table (lower image) lists the attributes for the house areas shown on the map. When
a feature is highlighted in the table, it will appear as a yellow polygon on the map.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
The fact that features have attributes as well geometry in a GIS Application opens up many possibili-
ties. For example we can use the attribute values to tell the GIS what colours and style to use when
drawing features (see Figure 22). The process of setting colours and drawing styles is often referred
to as setting feature symbology.
Attribute data can also be useful when creating map labels. Most GIS Applications will have a facility
to select an attribute that should be used to label each feature.
Figure 22: In a GIS Application, we can draw features differently depending on their attributes. On the left we
have drawn house polygons with the same colour as the roof attribute. On the right we colour coded houses
according to whether they have a balcony or not.
If you have ever searched a map for a place name or a specific feature, you will know how time
consuming it can be. Having attribute data can make searching for a specific feature quick and easy.
In Figure 23 you can see an example of an attribute search in a GIS.
Finally, attribute data can be very useful in carrying out spatial analysis. Spatial analysis combines
the spatial information stored in the geometry of features with their attribute information. This allows
us to study features and how they relate to each other. There are many types of spatial analysis that
can be carried out, for example, you could use GIS to find out how many red roofed houses occur in a
particular area. If you have tree features, you could use GIS to try to find out which species might be
affected if a piece of land is developed. We can use the attributes stored for water samples along a
river course to understand where pollution is entering into the stream. The possibilities are endless!
In a later topic we will be exploring spatial analysis in more detail.
Before we move on to attribute data in more detail, let’s take a quick recap:
Features are real world things such as roads, property boundaries, electrical substation sites and so
on. A feature has a geometry (which determines if it is a point, polyline or polygon) and attributes
(which describe the feature). This is shown in Figure 24.

Figure 23: In a GIS Application, we can also search for features based on their attributes. Here we see a
search for houses with black roofs. Results are shown in yellow in the map, turquoise on the table.
Figure 24: Vector features at a glance.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Attributes in detail
Attributes for a vector feature are stored in a table. A table is like a spreadsheet. Each column in
the table is called a field. Each row in the table is a record. Table 4 shows a simple example of how
an attribute table looks in a GIS. The records in the attribute table in a GIS each correspond to one
feature. Usually the information in the attribute table is stored in some kind of database. The GIS
application links the attribute records with the feature geometry so that you can find records in the
table by selecting features on the map, and find features on the map by selecting features in the table.
Table 4: An attribute table has fields (columns) and records (in rows)
Field 1: YearBuilt Field 2: RoofColour Field 3: Balcony

Record 1 1998 Red Yes
Record 2 2000 Black No
Record 3 2001 Silver Yes
Each field in the attribute table contains contains a specific type of data - text, numeric or date. De-
ciding what attributes to use for a feature requires some thought and planning. In our house example
earlier on in this topic, we chose roof colour, presence of a balcony and month of construction as
attributes of interest. We could just as easily have chosen other aspects of a house such as:
• number of levels
• number of rooms
• number of occupants
• type of dwelling (RDP House, block of flats, shack, brick house etc)
• year the house was built
• area of floor space in the house
• and so on....
With so many options, how do we make a good choice as to what attributes are needed for a feature?
It usually boils down to what you plan to do with the data. If you want to produce a colour coded map
showing houses by age, it will make sense to have a ’Year Built’ attribute for your feature. If you know
for sure you will never use this type of map, it is better to not store the information. Collecting and
storing unneeded information is a bad idea because of the cost and time required to research and
capture the information. Very often we obtain vector data from companies, friends or the government.
In these cases it is usually not possible to request specific attributes and we have to make do with
what we get.

Single Symbols
If a feature is symbolised without using any attribute table data, it can only be drawn in a simple way.
For example with point features you can set the colour and marker (circle, square, star etc.) but that
is all. You cannot tell the GIS to draw the features based on one of its properties in the attribute table.
In order to do that, you need to use either a graduated, continuous or unique value symbol. These
are described in detail in the sections that follow.
A GIS application will normally allow you to set the symbology of a layer using a dialog box such
as the one shown in Figure 25a. In this dialog box you can choose colours and symbol styles.
Depending on the geometry type of a layer, different options may be shown. For example with point
layers you can choose a marker style. With line and polygon layers there is no marker style option,
but instead you can select a line style and colour such as dashed orange for gravel roads, solid
orange for minor roads, and so on (as shown in 25b). With polygon layers you also have the option
of setting a fill style and colour.
Figure 25: Setting the symbology of a vector layer
(a) When using simple symbols, the feature is drawn (b) There are different options when defining simple
without using an attribute to control how it looks. This symbols for polyline and polygon features.
is the dialog for point features.
Graduated Symbols
Sometimes vector features represent things with a changing numerical value. Contour lines are
a good example of this. Each contour usually has an attribute value called ’height’ that contains
information about what height that contour represents. In Figure 23 earlier in this topic we showed
contours all drawn with the same colour. Adding colour to the contours can help us to interpret the
meanings of contours. For example we can draw low lying areas with one colour, mid-altitude areas

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
with another and high-altitude areas with a third.
Figure 26: The height attribute of contours can be used to separate the contours into 3 classes. Contours
between 980m and 1120m will be drawn in brown, those between 1120m and 1240m in green and those
between 1240m and 1500m in purple.
Figure 27: Our map after setting graduated colours for our contours.
Setting colours based on discrete groups of attribute values is called Graduated Symbology in QGIS.
The process is shown in Figure 26 and 27. Graduated symbols are most useful when you want
to show clear differences between features with attribute values in different value ranges. The
GIS Application will analyse the attribute data (e.g. height) and, based on the number of classes you
request, create groupings for you. This process is illustrated in Table 5.

Table 5: Graduated colour breaks up the attribute value ranges into the number of classes you select. Each
class is represented by a different colour.
Attribute Value Class and Colour

1 Class 1
2 Class 1
3 Class 1
4 Class 2
5 Class 2
6 Class 2
7 Class 3
8 Class 3
9 Class 3
Continuous Colour Symbols
In the previous section on Graduated Colour symbols we saw that we can draw features in discrete
groups or classes. Sometimes it is useful to draw features in a colour range from one colour to
another. The GIS Application will use a numerical attribute value from a feature (e.g. contour heights
or pollution levels in a stream) to decide which colour to use. Table 6 shows how the attribute value
is used to define a continuous range of colours.
Table 6: Continuous colour symbology uses a start colour (e.g. light orange shown here) and an end colour
(e.g. dark brown shown here) and creates a series of shades between those colours.
Attribute Value Colour (no classes or grouping)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Using the same contours example we used in the previous section, let’s see how a map with contin-
uous colour symbology is defined and looks. The process starts by setting the layers properties to
continuous colour using a dialog like the one shown in Figure 28.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 28: Setting up continuous colour symbology. The contour height attribute is used to determine colour
values. Colours are defined for the minimum and maximum values. The GIS Application will then create a
gradient of colours for drawing the features based on their heights.
After defining the minimum and maximum colours in the colour range, the colour features are drawn
in will depend on where the attribute lies in the range between minimum and maximum. For example
if you have contour features with values starting at 1000m and ending at 1400m, the value range is
1000 to 1400. If the colour set for the minimum value is set to orange and the colour for the maximum
value is black, contours with a value of close to 1400m will be drawn close to black. On the other
hand contours with a value near to 1000m will be drawn close to orange (see Figure 29).
Figure 29: A contour map drawn using continuous colour symbology.

Unique Value Symbols
Sometimes the attributes of features are not numeric, but instead strings are used. ’String’ is a
computer term meaning a group of letters, numbers and other writing symbols. Strings attributes are
often used to classify things by name. We can tell the GIS Application to give each unique string or
number its own colour and symbol. Road features may have different classes (e.g. ’street’, ’secondary
road’, ’main road’ etc.), each drawn in the map view of the GIS with different colours or symbols. This
is illustrated in Table 7.
Table 7: Unique attribute values for a feature type (e.g. roads) can each have their own symbol.
Attribute Value Colour class and symbol

Arterial route
Main road
Secondary road
Street
Within the GIS Application we can open /choose to use Unique Value symbology for a layer. The GIS
will scan through all the different string values in the attribute field and build a list of unique strings or
numbers. Each unique value can then be assigned a colour and style. This is shown in Figure 30.
Figure 30: Defining unique value symbology for roads based on the road type.
When the GIS draws the layer, it will look at the attributes of each feature before drawing it to the
screen. Based on the value in the chosen field in the attribute table, the road line will be drawn with
suitable colour and line style (and fill style if its a polygon feature). This is shown in Figure 31.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 31: A roads vector layer symbolised using a unique value per road type.
Things to be aware of
Deciding which attributes and symbology to use requires some planning. Before you start collecting
any GeoSpatial data, you should ensure you know what attributes are needed and how it will be
symbolised. It is very difficult to go back and re-collect data if you plan poorly the first time around.
Remember also that the goal of collecting attribute data is to allow you to analyse and interpret spatial
information. How you do this depends on the questions you are trying to answer. Symbology is a
visual language that allows people to see and understand your attribute data based on the colours
and symbols you use. Because of this you should put a lot of thought into how you symbolise your
maps in order to make them easy to understand.
• Vector features have attributes

• Attributes describe the properties of the feature
• The attributes are stored in a table
• Rows in the table are called records
• There is one record per feature in the vector layer
• Columns in the table are called fields
• Fields represent properties of the feature e.g. height, roof colour etc.
• Fields can contain numerical, string (any text) and date information
• The attribute data for a feature can be used to determine how it is symbolised

• Graduated colour symbology groups the data into discrete classes

• Continuous colour symbology assigns colours from a colour range to the features based on
their attributes
• Unique value symbology associates each different value in the chosen attribute column with a
different symbol (colour and style)
• If the attribute of a vector layer is not used to determine its symbology, it is drawn using a single
symbol only
Now you try!
• Using the table that you created in the last topic, add a new column for the symbology type
you would use for each feature type and have the learners identify which symbology type they
would use (see Table 8 for an example).
• Try to identify which symbology types you would use for the following types of vector features:
– points showing pH level of soil samples taken around your school
– lines showing a road network in a city
– polygons for houses with an attribute that shows whether it is made of brick, wood or ’other’
material.
If you don’t have a computer available, you can use transparency sheets and a 1:50 000 map sheet
to experiment with different symbology types. For example place a transparency sheet over the map
and using different coloured koki pens, draw in red all contour lines below 900m (or similar) and in
green all lines above or equal to 900m. Can you think of how to reproduce other symbology types
using the same technique?
Further reading
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartography#Map_symbology
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on working with attribute data and symbol-
ogy in QGIS.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Table 8: An example of a table that defines the feature types and the kind of symbology you would use for
each.
Real world feature Geometry Type Symbology Type

The school flagpole Point Single Symbol
The soccer field Polygon Single Symbol
The footpaths in and Polygon Have your learners count the number of learners us-
around the school ing each footpath in the hour before school and then
use graduated symbols to show the popularity of
each footpath
Places where taps are Point Single Symbol
located
Classrooms Polygon Unique Value based on the grade of the learners in
the classroom
Fence Polyline Have your learners rate the condition of the fence
around your school by separating it into sections and
grading each section on a scale of 1-9 based on its
condition. Use graduated symbols to classify the
condition attribute.
Classrooms Polygon Count the number of learners in each classroom and
use a continuous colour symbol to define a range
of colours from red to blue.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at data capture. We will put the things we have
learned about vector data and attributes into practice by creating new data.

4 DATA CAPTURE
4 Data Capture
Objectives: Learn how to create and edit vector

and attribute data.
Keywords: Editing, data capture, heads-up, ta-

ble, database
Overview
In the previous two topics we looked at vector data. We saw that there are two key concepts to vector
data, namely: geometry and attributes. The geometry of a vector feature describes its shape and
position, while the attributes of a vector feature describe its properties (colour, size, age etc.).
In this section we will look more closely at the process of creating and editing vector data - both the
geometry and attributes of vector features.
How does GIS digital data get stored?
Word processors, spreadsheets and graphics packages are all programs that let you create and edit
digital data. Each type of application saves its data into a particular file format. For example, a
graphics program will let you save your drawing as a ’.jpg’ JPEG image, word processors let you save
your document as an ’.odt’ OpenDocument or ’.doc’ Word Document, and so on.
Just like these other applications, GIS Applications can store their data in files on the computer hard
disk. There are a number of different file formats for GIS data, but the most common one is probably
the ’shape file’. The name is a little odd in that although we call it a shape file (singular), it actually
consists of at least three different files that work together to store your digital vector data, as shown
in Table 9.
Table 9: The basic files that together make up a ’shapefile’.
Extension Description
.shp The geometry of vector features are stored in this file.
.dbf The attributes of vector features are stored in this file.
.shx This file is an index that helps the GIS Application to find features more
quickly.
When you look at the files that make up a shapefile on the computer hard disk, you will see something
like Figure 32. If you want to share vector data stored in shapefiles with another person, it is important

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
to give them all of the files for that layer. So in the case of the trees layer shown in 32, you would
need to give the person trees.shp, trees.shx, trees.dbf, trees.prj and trees.qml.
Figure 32: The files that make up a ’trees’ shapefile as seen in the computer’s file manager.
Many GIS Applications are also able to store digital data inside a database. In general storing
GIS data in a database is a good solution because the database can store large amounts of data
efficiently and can provide data to the GIS Application quickly. Using a database also allows many
people to work with the same vector data layers at the same time. Setting up a database to store GIS
data is more complicated than using shapefiles, so for this topic we will focus on creating and editing
shapefiles.
Planning before you begin
Before you can create a new vector layer (which will be stored in a shapefile), you need know what the
geometry of that layer will be (point, polyline or polygon), and you need to know what the attributes of
that layer will be. Let’s look at a few examples and it will become clearer how to go about doing this.

4 DATA CAPTURE
Example 1: Creating a tourism map
Imagine that you want to create a nice tourism map for your local area. Your vision of the final map is
a 1:50 000 toposheet with markers overlaid for sites of interest to tourists. First, let’s think about the
geometry. We know that we can represent a vector layer using point, polyline or polygon features.
Which one makes the most sense for our tourism map? We could use points if we wanted to mark
specific locations such as look out points, memorials, battle sites and so on. If we wanted to take
tourists along a route, such as a scenic oute through a mountain pass, it might make sense to use
polylines. If we have whole areas that are of tourism interest, such as a nature reserve or a cultural
village, polygons might make a good choice.
As you can see it’s often not easy to know what type of geometry you will need. One common
approach to this problem is to make one layer for each geometry type you need. So, for example, if
you look at digital data provided by the Chief Directorate : Surveys and Mapping, South Africa, they
provide a river areas (polygons) layer and a rivers polyline layer. They use the river areas (polygons)
to represent river stretches that are wide, and they use river polylines to represent narrow stretches
of river. In Figure 33 we can see how our tourism layers might look on a map if we used all three
geometry types.
Figure 33: A map with tourism layers. We have used three different geometry types for tourism data so that
we can properly represent the different kinds of features needed for our visitors, giving them all the information
they need.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Example 2: Creating a map of pollution levels along a river
If you wanted to measure pollution levels along the course of a river you would typically travel along
the river in a boat or walk along its banks. At regular intervals you would stop and take various
measurements such as Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels, Coliform Bacteria (CB) counts, Turbidity levels
and pH. You would also need to make a map reading of your position or obtain your position using a
GPS receiver.
To store the data collected from an exercise like this in a GIS Application, you would probably create
a GIS layer with a point geometry. Using point geometry makes sense here because each sample
taken represents the conditions at a very specific place.
For the attributes we would want a field for each thing that describes the sample site. So we may
end up with an attribute table that looks something like Table 10.
Table 10: Drawing a table like this before you create your vector layer will let you decide what attribute fields
(columns) you will need. Note that the geometry (positions where samples were taken) is not shown in the
attribute table - the GIS Application stores it separately!
SampleNo pH DO CB Turbidity Collector Date

1 7 6 N Low Patience 12/01/2009
2 6.8 5 Y Medium Thabo 12/01/2009
3 6.9 6 Y High Victor 12/01/2009
Creating an empty shapefile
Once you have planned what features you want to capture into the GIS, and the geometry type and
attributes that each feature should have, you can move on to the next step of creating an empty
shapefile.
The process usually starts with choosing the ’new vector layer’ option in your GIS Application and
then selecting a geometry type (see Figure 34). As we covered in an earlier topic, this means
choosing either point, polyline or polygon for the geometry.
Next you will add fields to the attribute table. Normally we give field names that are short, have no
spaces and indicate what type of information is being stored in that field. Example field names may
be ’pH’, ’RoofColour’, ’RoadType’ and so on. As well as choosing a name for each field, you need to
indicate how the information should be stored in that field - i.e. is it a number, a word or a sentence,
or a date?
Computer programs usually call information that is made up of words or sentences ’strings’, so if
you need to store something like a street name or the name of a river, you should use string for the
field type.

4 DATA CAPTURE
Figure 34: Creating a new vector layer is as simple as filling in a few details in a form. First you choose the
geometry type, and then you add the attribute fields.
The shapefile format allows you to store the numeric field information as either a whole number
(integer) or a decimal number (floating point) - so you need to think before hand whether the
numeric data you are going to capture will have decimal places or not.
The final step (as shown in Figure 35) for creating a shapefile is to give it a name and a place on the
computer hard disk where it should be created. Once again it is a good idea to give the shapefile a
short and meaningful name. Good examples are ’rivers’, ’watersamples’ and so on.
Let’s recap the process again quickly. To create a shapefile you first say what kind of geometry it will
hold, then you create one or more fields for the attribute table, and then you save the shapefile to the
hard disk using an easy to recognise name. Easy as 1-2-3!

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 35: After defining our new layer’s geometry and attributes, we need to save it to disk. It is important to
give a short but meaningful name to your shapefile.
Adding data to your shapefile
So far we have only created an empty shapefile. Now we need to enable editing in the shapefile
using the ’enable editing’ menu option or tool bar icon in the GIS Application. Shapefiles are not
enabled for editing by default to prevent accidentally changing or deleting the data they contain. Next
we need to start adding data. There are two steps we need to complete for each record we add to
the shapefile:
1. Capturing geometry
2. Entering attributes
The process of capturing geometry is different for points, polylines and polygons.
To capture a point, you first use the map pan and zoom tools to get to the correct geographical area
that you are going to be recording data for. Next you will need to enable the point capture tool. Having
done that, the next place you click with the left mouse button in the map view, is where you want
your new point geometry to appear. After you click on the map, a window will appear and you can
enter all of the attribute data for that point (see Figure 36). If you are unsure of the data for a given
field you can usually leave it blank, but be aware that if you leave a lot of fields blank it will be hard to
make a useful map from your data!

4 DATA CAPTURE
Figure 36: After you have captured the point geometry, you will be asked to describe its attributes. The
attribute form is based on the fields you specified when you created the vector layer.
To capture a polyline the process is similar to that of a point, in that you need to first use the pan
and zoom tools to move the map in the map view to the correct geographical area. You should be
zoomed in enough so that your new vector polyline feature will have an appropriate scale (see Topic
2: Working with Vector Data for more details on scale issues). When you are ready, you can click the
polyline capture icon in the tool bar and then start drawing your line by clicking on the map. After you
make your first click, you will notice that the line stretches like an elastic band to follow the mouse
cursor around as you move it. Each time you click with the left mouse button, a new vertex will be
added to the map. This process is shown in Figure 37.
When you have finished defining your line, use the right mouse button to tell the GIS Application
that you have completed your edits. As with the procedure for capturing a point feature, you will then
be asked to enter in the attribute data for your new polyline feature.
The process for capturing a polygon is almost the same as capturing a polyline except that you
need to use the polygon capture tool in the tool bar. Also, you will notice that when you draw your
geometry on the screen, the GIS Application always creates an enclosed area.
To add a new feature after you have created your first one, you can simply click again on the map
with the point, polyline or polygon capture tool active and start to draw your next feature.
When you have no more features to add, always be sure to click the ’allow editing’ icon to toggle it
off. The GIS Application will then save your newly created layer to the hard disk.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 37: Capturing lines for a tourism map. When editing a line layer, the vertices are shown with circular
markers which you can move about with the mouse to adjust the line’s geometry. When adding a new line
(shown in red), each click of the mouse will add a new vertex.
Heads-up digitising
As you have probably discovered by now if you followed the steps above, it is pretty hard to draw the
features so that they are spatially correct if you do not have other features that you can use as a
point of reference. One common solution to this problem is to use a raster layer (such as an aerial
photograph or a satellite image) as a backdrop layer. You can then use this layer as a reference map,
or even trace the features off the raster layer into your vector layer if they are visible. This process is
known as ’heads-up digitising’ and is shown in Figure 38.

4 DATA CAPTURE
Figure 38: Heads-up digitising using a satellite image as a backdrop. The image is used as a reference for
capturing polyline features by tracing over them.
Digitising using a digitising table
Another method of capturing vector data is to use a digitising table. This approach is less commonly
used except by GIS professionals, and it requires expensive equipment. The process of using a
digitising table, is to place a paper map on the table. The paper map is held securely in place using
clips. Then a special device called a ’puck’ is used to trace features from the map. Tiny cross-hairs
in the puck are used to ensure that lines and points are drawn accurately. The puck is connected to
a computer and each feature that is captured using the puck gets stored in the computer’s memory.
You can see what a digitising puck looks like in Figure 39.
After your features are digitised
Once your features are digitised, you can use the techniques you learned in the previous Topic to set
the symbology for your layer. Choosing an appropriate symbology will allow you to better understand

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 39: A digitising table and puck are used by GIS professionals when they want to digitise features from
existing maps.

4 DATA CAPTURE
the data you have captured when you look at the map.
Common problems / things to be aware of
If you are digitising using a backdrop raster layer such as an aerial photograph or satellite image, it is
very important that the raster layer is properly georeferenced. A layer that is georeferenced properly
displays in the correct position in the map view based on the GIS Application’s internal model of the
earth. We can see the effect of a poorly georeferenced image in Figure 40.
Figure 40: The importance of using properly georeferenced raster images for heads-up digitising. On the left
we can see the image is properly georegistered and the road features (in orange) overlap perfectly. If the image
is poorly georeferenced (as shown on the right) the features will not be well aligned. Worse still, if the image
on the right is used as a reference when capturing new features, the newly captured data will be inaccurate!
Also remember that it is important that you are zoomed in to an appropriate scale so that the vector
features you create are useful. As we saw in the previous topic on vector geometry, it is a bad idea
to digitise your data when you are zoomed out to a scale of 1:1000 000 if you intend to use the data
you capture at a scale of 1:50 000 later.
• Digitising is the process of capturing knowledge of a feature’s geometry and attributes into a
digital format stored on the computer’s disk.
• GIS Data can be stored in a database or as files.
• One commonly used file format is the shapefile which is actually a group of three or more files
(.shp, .dbf and .shx).

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
• Before you create a new vector layer you need to plan both what geometry type and attribute
fields it will contain.
• Geometry can be point, polyline or polygon.
• Attributes can be integers (whole numbers), floating points (decimal numbers), strings
(words) or dates.
• The digitising process consists of drawing the geometry in the map view and then entering its
attributes. This is repeated for each feature.
• Heads-up digitising is often used to provide orientation during digitising by using a raster
image in the background.
• Professional GIS users sometimes use a digitising table to capture information from paper
maps.
Now you try!
• Draw up a list of features in and around your school that you think would be interesting to
capture. For example: the school boundary, the position of fire assembly points, the layout
of each class room, and so on. Try to use a mix of different geometry types. Now split your
learners into groups and assign each group a few features to capture. Have them symbolise
their layers so that they are more meaningful to look at. Combine the layers from all the groups
to create a nice map of your school and its surroundings!
• Find a local river and take water samples along its length. Make a careful note of the position of
each sample using a GPS or by marking it on a toposheet. For each sample take measurements
such as pH, dissolved oxygen etc. Capture the data using the GIS application and make maps
that show the samples with a suitable symbology. Could you identify any areas of concern?
Was the GIS Application able to help you to identify these areas?
If you don’t have a computer available, you can follow the same process by using transparency sheets
and a notebook. Use an aerial photo, orthosheet or satellite image printout as your background layer.
Draw columns down the page in your notebook and write in the column headings for each attribute
field you want to store information about. Now trace the geometry of features onto the transparency
sheet, writing a number next to each feature so that it can be identified. Now write the same number
in the first column in your table in your notebook, and then fill in all the additional information you want
to record.

4 DATA CAPTURE
Further reading
Website:
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/waterproj/S00project/miami2000/miamiriverfinal.html
- A school project to assess water quality in their local river.
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on digitising vector data in QGIS.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at raster data to learn all about how image data
can be used in a GIS.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
5 Raster Data
Objectives: Understanding what raster data is

and how it can be used in a GIS.
Keywords: Raster, Pixels, Remote Sensing,

Satellite, Image, Georeference
Overview
In the previous topics we have taken a closer look at vector data. While vector features use geometry
(points, polylines and polygons) to represent the real world, raster data takes a different approach.
Rasters are made up of a matrix of pixels (also called cells), each containing a value that represents
the conditions for the area covered by that cell (see Figure 41). In this topic we are going to take a
closer look at raster data, when it is useful and when it makes more sense to use vector data.
Figure 41: A raster dataset is composed of rows (running across) and columns (running down) of pixels (also
know as cells). Each pixel represents a geographical region, and the value in that pixel represents some
characteristic of that region.

5 RASTER DATA
Raster data in detail
Raster data is used in a GIS application when we want to display information that is continuous across
an area and cannot easily be divided into vector features. When we introduced you to vector data we
showed you the image in Figure 42. Point, polyline and polygon features work well for representing
some features on this landscape, such as trees, roads and building footprints. Other features on
a landscape can be more difficult to represent using vector features. For example the grasslands
shown have many variations in colour and density of cover. It would be easy enough to make a single
polygon around each grassland area, but a lot of the information about the grassland would be lost
in the process of simplifying the features to a single polygon. This is because when you give a vector
feature attribute values, they apply to the whole feature, so vectors aren’t very good at representing
features that are not homogeneous (entirely the same) all over. Another approach you could take is
to digitise every small variation of grass colour and cover as a separate polygon. The problem with
that approach is that it will take a huge amount of work in order to create a good vector dataset.
Figure 42: Some features on a landscape are easy to represent as points, polylines and polygons (e.g. trees,
roads, houses). In other cases it can be difficult. For example how would you represent the grasslands? As
polygons? What about the variations in colour you can see in the grass? When you are trying to represent
large areas with continuously changing values, raster data can be a better choice.
Using raster data is a solution to these problems. Many people use raster data as a backdrop to be
used behind vector layers in order to provide more meaning to the vector information. The human eye
is very good at interpreting images and so using an image behind vector layers, results in maps with

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
a lot more meaning. Raster data is not only good for images that depict the real world surface (e.g.
satellite images and aerial photographs), they are also good for representing more abstract ideas.
For example, rasters can be used to show rainfall trends over an area, or to depict the fire risk on a
landscape. In these kinds of applications, each cell in the raster represents a different value. e.g. risk
of fire on a scale of one to ten.
An example that shows the difference between an image obtained from a satellite and one that shows
calculated values can be seen in Figure 43.
Figure 43: True colour raster images (left) are useful as they provide a lot of detail that is hard to capture as
vector features but easy to see when looking at the raster image. Raster data can also be non-photographic
data such as the raster layer shown on the right which shows the calculated average minimum temperature in
the Western Cape for the month of March.
Georeferencing
Georeferencing is the process of defining exactly where on the earth’s surface an image or raster
dataset was created. This positional information is stored with the digital version of the aerial photo.
When the GIS application opens the photo, it uses the positional information to ensure that the photo
appears in the correct place on the map. Normally this positional information consists of a coordinate
for the top left pixel in the image, the size of each pixel in the X direction, the size of each pixel in
the Y direction, and the amount (if any) by which the image is rotated. With these few pieces of
information, the GIS application can ensure that raster data are displayed in the correct place. The
georeferencing information for a raster is often provided in a small text file accompanying the raster.

5 RASTER DATA
Sources of raster data
Raster data can be obtained in a number of ways. Two of the most common ways are aerial pho-
tography and satellite imagery. In aerial photography, an aeroplane flies over an area with a camera
mounted underneath it. The photographs are then imported into a computer and georeferenced.
Satellite imagery is created when satellites orbiting the earth point special digital cameras towards
the earth and then take an image of the area on earth they are passing over. Once the image has
been taken it is sent back to earth using radio signals to special receiving stations such as the one
shown in Figure 44. The process of capturing raster data from an aeroplane or satellite is called
remote sensing.
Figure 44: The CSIR Satellite Applications Center at Hartebeeshoek near Johannesburg. Special antennae
track satellites as they pass overhead and download images using radio waves.
In other cases, raster data can be computed. For example an insurance company may take police
crime incident reports and create a country wide raster map showing how high the incidence of crime
is likely to be in each area. Meteorologists (people who study weather patterns) might generate a
province level raster showing average temperature, rainfall and wind direction using data collected
from weather stations (see Figure 44). In these cases, they will often use raster analysis techniques
such as interpolation (which we describe in Topic 10).
Sometimes raster data are created from vector data because the data owners want to share the data
in an easy to use format. For example, a company with road, rail, cadastral and other vector datasets
may choose to generate a raster version of these datasets so that employees can view these datasets
in a web browser. This is normally only useful if the attributes, that users need to be aware of, can
be represented on the map with labels or symbology. If the user needs to look at the attribute table
for the data, providing it in raster format could be a bad choice because raster layers do not usually
have any attribute data associated with them.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Spatial Resolution
Every raster layer in a GIS has pixels (cells) of a fixed size that determine its spatial resolution. This
becomes apparent when you look at an image at a small scale (see Illustration 5 below) and then
zoom in to a large scale (see Illustration 6 below).
Figure 45: This satellite image looks good when using a small scale...
Figure 46: ...but when viewed at a large scale you can see the individual pixels that the image is composed of.
Several factors determine the spatial resolution of an image. For remote sensing data, spatial res-
olution is usually determined by the capabilities of the sensor used to take an image. For example
SPOT5 satellites can take images where each pixel is 10m x 10m. Other satellites, for example
MODIS take images only at 500m x 500m per pixel. In aerial photography, pixel sizes of 50cm x
50cm are not uncommon. Images with a pixel size covering a small area are called ’high resolu-
tion’ images because it is possible to make out a high degree of detail in the image. Images with a
pixel size covering a large area are called ’low resolution’ images because the amount of detail the

5 RASTER DATA
images show is low.
In raster data that is computed by spatial analysis (such as the rainfall map we mentioned earlier), the
spatial density of information used to create the raster will usually determine the spatial resolution.
For example if you want to create a high resolution average rainfall map, you would ideally need many
weather stations in close proximity to each other.
One of the main things to be aware of with rasters captured at a high spatial resolution is storage
requirements. Think of a raster that is 3x3 pixels, each of which contains a number representing
average rainfall. To store all the information contained in the raster, you will need to store 9 numbers
in the computer’s memory. Now imagine you want to have a raster layer for the whole of South Africa
with pixels of 1km x 1km. South Africa is around 1,219,090 km2. Which means your computer would
need to store over a million numbers on its hard disk in order to hold all of the information. Making
the pixel size smaller would greatly increase the amount of storage needed.
Sometimes using a low spatial resolution is useful when you want to work with a large area and are
not interested in looking at any one area in a lot of detail. The cloud maps you see on the weather
report, are an example of this - it’s useful to see the clouds across the whole country. Zooming in to
one particular cloud in high resolution will not tell you very much about the upcoming weather!
On the other hand, using low resolution raster data can be problematic if you are interested in a small
region because you probably won’t be able to make out any individual features from the image.
Spectral resolution
If you take a colour photograph with a digital camera or camera on a cellphone, the camera uses
electronic sensors to detect red, green and blue light. When the picture is displayed on a screen
or printed out, the red, green and blue (RGB) information is combined to show you an image that
your eyes can interpret. While the information is still in digital format though, this RGB information is
stored in separate colour bands.
Whilst our eyes can only see RGB wavelengths, the electronic sensors in cameras are able to detect
wavelengths that our eyes cannot. Of course in a hand held camera it probably doesn’t make sense
to record information from the non-visible parts of the spectrum since most people just want to look
at pictures of their dog or what have you. Raster images that include data for non-visible parts of the
light spectrum are often referred to as multi-spectral images. In GIS recording the non-visible parts of
the spectrum can be very useful. For example, measuring infra-red light can be useful in identifying
water bodies.
Because having images containing multiple bands of light is so useful in GIS, raster data are often
provided as multi-band images. Each band in the image is like a separate layer. The GIS will combine
three of the bands and show them as red, green and blue so that the human eye can see them. The
number of bands in a raster image is referred to as its spectral resolution.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
If an image consists of only one band, it is often called a grayscale image. With grayscale images,
you can apply false colouring to make the differences in values in the pixels more obvious. Images
with false colouring applied are often referred to as pseudocolour images.
Raster to vector conversion
In our discussion of vector data, we explained that often raster data are used as a backdrop layer,
which is then used as a base from which vector features can be digitised.
Another approach is to use advanced computer programs to automatically extract vector features
from images. Some features such as roads show in an image as a sudden change of colour from
neighbouring pixels. The computer program looks for such colour changes and creates vector fea-
tures as a result. This kind of functionality is normally only available in very specialised (and often
expensive) GIS software.
Vector to raster conversion
Sometimes it is useful to convert vector data into raster data. One side effect of this is that attribute
data (that is attributes associated with the original vector data) will be lost when the conversion takes
place. Having vectors converted to raster format can be useful though when you want to give GIS
data to non GIS users. With the simpler raster formats, the person you give the raster image to can
simply view it as an image on their computer without needing any special GIS software.
Raster analysis
There are a great many analytical tools that can be run on raster data which cannot be used with
vector data. For example, rasters can be used to model water flow over the land surface. This
information can be used to calculate where watersheds and stream networks exist, based on the
terrain.
Raster data are also often used in agriculture and forestry to manage crop production. For example
with a satellite image of a farmer’s lands, you can identify areas where the plants are growing poorly
and then use that information to apply more fertilizer on the affected areas only. Foresters use raster
data to estimate how much timber can be harvested from an area.
Raster data is also very important for disaster management. Analysis of Digital Elevation Models
(a kind of raster where each pixel contains the height above sea level) can then be used to identify
areas that are likely to be flooded. This can then be used to target rescue and relief efforts to areas
where it is needed the most.

5 RASTER DATA
As we have already mentioned, high resolution raster data can require large amounts of computer
storage.
• Raster data are a grid of regularly sized pixels.

• Raster data are good for showing continually varying information.
• The size of pixels in a raster determines its spatial resolution.
• Raster images can contain one or more bands, each covering the same spatial area, but con-
taining different information.
• When raster data contains bands from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, they are
called multi-spectral images.
• Three of the bands of a multi-spectral image can be shown in the colours Red, Green and Blue
so that we can see them.
• Images with a single band are called grayscale images.
• Single band, grayscale images can be shown in pseudocolour by the GIS.
• Raster images can consume a large amount of storage space.
Now you try!
• Discuss with your learners in which situations you would use raster data and in which you would
use vector data.
• Get your learners to create a raster map of your school by using A4 transparency sheets with
grid lines drawn on them. Overlay the transparencies onto a toposheet or aerial photograph of
your school. Now let each learner or group of learners colour in cells that represent a certain
type of feature. e.g. building, playground, sports field, trees, footpaths etc. When they are all
finished, overlay all the sheets together and see if it makes a good raster map representation of
your school. Which types of features worked well when represented as rasters? How did your
choice in cell size affect your ability to represent different feature types?

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
If you don’t have a computer available, you can understand raster data using pen and paper. Draw
a grid of squares onto a sheet of paper to represent your soccer field. Fill the grid in with numbers
representing values for grass cover on your soccer field. If a patch is bare give the cell a value of
0. If the patch is mixed bare and covered, give it a value of 1. If an area is completely covered with
grass, give it a value of 2. Now use pencil crayons to colour the cells based on their values. Colour
cells with value 2 dark green. Value 1 should get coloured light green, and value 0 coloured in brown.
When you finish, you should have a raster map of your soccer field!
Further reading
Book:
Chang, Kang-Tsung (2006): Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. 3rd Edition. McGraw
Hill. (ISBN 0070658986) DeMers, Michael N. (2005): Fundamentals of Geographic Information Sys-
tems. 3rd Edition. Wiley. (ISBN 9814126195)
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS#Raster
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on working with raster data in QGIS.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at topology to see how the relationship between
vector features can be used to ensure the best data quality.

6 TOPOLOGY
6 Topology
Objectives: Understanding topology in vector

data.
Keywords: Vector, toplology, topology rules,

topology errors, search radius,
snaping distance, simple feature
Overview
Topology expresses the spatial relationships between connecting or adjacent vector features (points,
polylines and polygons) in a GIS. Topological or topology-based data are useful for detecting and
correcting digitising errors (e.g. two lines in a roads vector layer that do not meet perfectly at an
intersection). Topology is necessary for carrying out some types of spatial analysis, such as network
analysis. Imagine you travel to London. On a sightseeing tour you plan to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral
first and in the afternoon Covent Garden Market for some souvenirs. Looking at the Underground
map of London (see Figure 47) you have to find connecting trains to get from Covent Garden to
St. Paul’s. This requires topological information (data) about where it is possible to change trains.
Looking at a map of the underground, the topological relationships are illustrated by circles that show
connectivity. Changing trains at stations allows you to move from one connected part of the network
to another.
Figure 47: Topology of London Underground Network.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Topology errors
There are different types of topological errors and they can be grouped according to whether the
vector feature types are polygons or polylines. Topological errors with polygon features can include
unclosed polygons, gaps between polygon borders or overlapping polygon borders. A common topo-
logical error with polyline features is that they do not meet perfectly at a point (node). This type
of error is called an undershoot if a gap exists between the lines, and an overshoot if a line ends
beyond the line it should connect to (see Figure 48).
Figure 48: Undershoots (1) occur when digitised vector lines that should connect to each other don’t quite
touch. Overshoots (2) happen if a line ends beyond the line it should connect to. Slivers (3) occur when the
vertices of two polygons do not match up on their borders.
The result of overshoot and undershoot errors are so-called ’dangling nodes’ at the end of the lines.
Dangling nodes are acceptable in special cases, for example if they are attached to dead-end streets.
Topological errors break the relationship between features. These errors need to be fixed in order
to be able to analyse vector data with procedures like network analysis (e.g. finding the best route
across a road network) or measurement (e.g. finding out the length of a river). In addition to topology
being useful for network analysis and measurement, there are other reasons why it is important and
useful to create or have vector data with correct topology. Just imagine you digitise a municipal
boundaries map for your province and the polygons overlap or show slivers. If such errors were
present, you would be able to use the measurement tools, but the results you get will be incorrect.
You will not know the correct area for any municipality and you will not be able to define exactly,
where the borders between the municipalities are. It is not only important for your own analysis to
create and have topologically correct data, but also for people who you pass data on to. They will be
expecting your data and analysis results to be correct!

6 TOPOLOGY
Topology rules
Fortunately, many common errors that can occur when digitising vector features can be prevented
by topology rules that are implemented in many GIS applications. Except for some special GIS data
formats, topology is usually not enforced by default. Many common GIS, like QGIS, define topology
as relationship rules and let the user choose the rules, if any, to be implemented in a vector layer. The
following list shows some examples of where topology rules can be defined for real world features in
a vector map.
• Area edges of a municipality map must not overlap.

• Area edges of a municipality map must not have gaps (slivers).
• Polygons showing property boundaries must be closed. Undershoots or overshoots of the
border lines are not allowed.
• Contour lines in a vector line layer must not intersect (cross each other).
Topological tools
Many GIS applications provide tools for topological editing. For example in QGIS you can enable
topological editing to improve editing and maintaining common boundaries in polygon layers. A
GIS such as QGIS ’detects’ a shared boundary in a polygon map so you only have to move the edge
vertex of one polygon boundary and QGIS will ensure the updating of the other polygon boundaries
as shown in Figure ??(1).
Another topological option allows you to prevent polygon overlaps during digitising (see Figure
??(2)). If you already have one polygon, it is possible with this option to digitise a second adjacent
polygon so that both polygons overlap and QGIS then clips the second polygon to the common
boundary.
Figure 49: (1)Topological editing to detect shared boundaries, when moving vertices. When moving a vertex,
all features that share that vertex are updated. (2) To avoid polygon overlaps, when a new polygon is digitised
(shown in red) it is clipped to avoid overlapping neighbouring areas.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Snapping distance
Snapping distance is the distance a GIS uses to search for the closest vertex and / or segment you
are trying to connect when you digitise. A segment is a straight line formed between two vertices in
a polygon or polyline geometry. If you aren’t within the snapping distance, a GIS such as QGIS will
leave the vertex where you release the mouse button, instead of snapping it to an existing vertex and
/ or segment (see Illustration 4 below).
Figure 50: The snapping distance (black circle) is defined in map units (e.g. decimal degrees) for snapping to
either vertices or segments.
Search Radius
Search radius is the distance a GIS uses to search for the closest vertex you are trying to move
when you click on the map. If you aren’t within the search radius, the GIS won’t find and select any
vertex of a feature for editing. In principle, it is quite similar to the snapping distance functionality.
Snapping distance and search radius are both set in map units so you may need to experiment to
get the distance value set right. If you specify a value that is too big, the GIS may snap to a wrong
vertex, especially if you are dealing with a large number of vertices close together. If you specify the
search radius too small the GIS application won’t find any feature or vertex to move or edit.
Topology is a complex representation of vector data. True topological vector datasets are stored in
special file formats that record all the relationships between features. Most commonly used vector
data formats use something called ’Simple Features’ which also consists of point, line and polygon
features. Simple feature datasets are mainly designed for simplicity and for fast rendering but not for
data analysis that require topology (such as finding routes across a network). Many GIS applications

6 TOPOLOGY
are able to show topological and simple feature data together and some can also create, edit and
analyse both.
• Topology shows the spatial relation of neighbouring vector features.

• Topology in GIS is provided by topological tools.
• Topology can be used to detect and correct digitizing errors.
• For some tools, such as network analysis, topological data is essential.
• Snapping distance and search radius help us to digitise topologically correct vector data.
• Simple feature data is not a true topological data format but it is commonly used by GIS
applications.
Now you try!
• Mark your local bus stops on a toposheet map and then task your learners to find the shortest
route between two stops.
• Think of how you would create vector features in a GIS to represent a topological road network
of your town. What topological rules are important and what tools can your learners use in
QGIS to make sure that the new road layer is topologically correct?
If you don’t have a computer available, you can use a map of a bus or railway network and discuss
the spatial relationships and topology with your learners.
Further reading
Books:
• Chang, Kang-Tsung (2006): Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. 3rd Edition. Mc-
Graw Hill. (ISBN 0070658986)

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
• DeMers, Michael N. (2005): Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems. 3rd Edition.

Wiley. (ISBN 9814126195)
Websites:
http://www.innovativegis.com/basis/primer/concepts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geospatial_topology
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on topological editing provided in QGIS.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at Coordinate Reference Systems to understand
how we relate data from our spherical earth onto flat maps!

7 COORDINATE REFERENCE SYSTEMS
7 Coordinate Reference Systems
Objectives: Understanding of Coordinate Ref-

erence Systems.
Keywords: Coordinate Reference System

(CRS), Map Projection, On the Fly
Projection, Latitude, Longitude,
Northing, Easting
Overview
Map projections try to portray the surface of the earth or a portion of the earth on a flat piece of
paper or computer screen. A coordinate reference system (CRS) then defines, with the help of
coordinates, how the two-dimensional, projected map in your GIS is related to real places on the
earth. The decision as to which map projection and coordinate reference system to use, depends on
the regional extent of the area you want to work in, on the analysis you want to do and often on the
availability of data.
Map Projection in detail
A traditional method of representing the earth’s shape is the use of globes. There is, however, a
problem with this approach. Although globes preserve the majority of the earth’s shape and illustrate
the spatial configuration of continent-sized features, they are very difficult to carry in one’s pocket.
They are also only convenient to use at extremely small scales (e.g. 1 : 100 million).
Most of the thematic map data commonly used in GIS applications are of considerably larger scale.
Typical GIS datasets have scales of 1:250 000 or greater, depending on the level of detail. A globe
of this size would be difficult and expensive to produce and even more difficult to carry around. As a
result, cartographers have developed a set of techniques called map projections designed to show,
with reasonable accuracy, the spherical earth in two-dimensions.
When viewed at close range the earth appears to be relatively flat. However when viewed from space,
we can see that the earth is relatively spherical. Maps, as we will see in the upcoming map production
topic, are representations of reality. They are designed to not only represent features, but also their
shape and spatial arrangement. Each map projection has advantages and disadvantages. The
best projection for a map depends on the scale of the map, and on the purposes for which it will
be used. For example, a projection may have unacceptable distortions if used to map the entire
African continent, but may be an excellent choice for a large-scale (detailed) map of your country.
The properties of a map projection may also influence some of the design features of the map. Some

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
projections are good for small areas, some are good for mapping areas with a large East-West extent,
and some are better for mapping areas with a large North-South extent.
The three families of map projections
The process of creating map projections can be visualised by positioning a light source inside a
transparent globe on which opaque earth features are placed. Then project the feature outlines onto
a two-dimensional flat piece of paper. Different ways of projecting can be produced by surrounding
the globe in a cylindrical fashion, as a cone, or even as a flat surface. Each of these methods
produces what is called a map projection family. Therefore, there is a family of planar projections,
a family of cylindrical projections, and another called conical projections (see Figure 51)
Figure 51: The three families of map projections. They can be represented by a) cylindrical projections, b)
conical projections or c) planar projections.

Accuracy of map projections
Map projections are never absolutely accurate representations of the spherical earth. As a result of
the map projection process, every map shows distortions of angular conformity, distance and
area. A map projection may combine several of these characteristics, or may be a compromise
that distorts all the properties of area, distance and angular conformity, within some acceptable limit.
Examples of compromise projections are the Winkel Tripel projection and the Robinson projection
(see Figure 52), which are often used for world maps.
Figure 52: The Robinson projection is a compromise where distortions of area, angular conformity and dis-
tance are acceptable.
It is usually impossible to preserve all characteristics at the same time in a map projection. This
means that when you want to carry out accurate analytical operations, you need to use a map pro-
jection that provides the best characteristics for your analyses. For example, if you need to measure
distances on your map, you should try to use a map projection for your data that provides high accu-
racy for distances.
Map projections with angular conformity
When working with a globe, the main directions of the compass rose (North, East, South and West)
will always occur at 90 degrees to one another. In other words, East will always occur at a 90 degree
angle to North. Maintaining correct angular properties can be preserved on a map projection as
well. A map projection that retains this property of angular conformity is called a conformal or
orthomorphic projection.
These projections are used when the preservation of angular relationships is important. They are
commonly used for navigational or meteorological tasks. It is important to remember that maintain-
ing true angles on a map is difficult for large areas and should be attempted only for small portions

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 53: The Mercator projection, for example, is used where angular relationships are important, but the
relationship of areas are distorted.
of the earth. The conformal type of projection results in distortions of areas, meaning that if area
measurements are made on the map, they will be incorrect. The larger the area the less accurate
the area measurements will be. Examples are the Mercator projection (as shown in Figure ref-
fig:mercator) and the Lambert Conformal Conic projection. The U.S. Geological Survey uses a
conformal projection for many of its topographic maps.
Map projections with equal distance
If your goal in projecting a map is to accurately measure distances, you should select a projection that
is designed to preserve distances well. Such projections, called equidistant projections, require that
the scale of the map is kept constant. A map is equidistant when it correctly represents distances
from the centre of the projection to any other place on the map. Equidistant projections maintain
accurate distances from the centre of the projection or along given lines. These projections are used
for radio and seismic mapping, and for navigation. The Plate Carree Equidistant Cylindrical (see
Figure 55) and the Equirectangular projection are two good examples of equidistant projections.
The Azimuthal Equidistant projection is the projection used for the emblem of the United Nations
(see Figure 54).

Figure 54: The United Nations Logo uses the Azimuthal Equidistant projection.
Figure 55: The Plate Carree Equidistant Cylindrical projection, for example, is used when accurate distance
measurement is important.
Projections with equal areas
When a map portrays areas over the entire map, so that all mapped areas have the same proportional
relationship to the areas on the Earth that they represent, the map is an equal area map. In practice,
general reference and educational maps most often require the use of equal area projections. As
the name implies, these maps are best used when calculations of area are the dominant calculations
you will perform. If, for example, you are trying to analyse a particular area in your town to find out
whether it is large enough for a new shopping mall, equal area projections are the best choice. On the
one hand, the larger the area you are analysing, the more precise your area measures will be, if you
use an equal area projection rather than another type. On the other hand, an equal area projection
results in distortions of angular conformity when dealing with large areas. Small areas will be far
less prone to having their angles distorted when you use an equal area projection. Alber’s Equal

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Area, Lambert’s Equal Area and Mollweide Equal Area Cylindrical projections (shown in Figure
56) are types of equal area projections that are often encountered in GIS work.
Keep in mind that map projection is a very complex topic. There are hundreds of different projections
available world wide each trying to portray a certain portion of the earth’s surface as faithfully as
possible on a flat piece of paper. In reality, the choice of which projection to use, will often be made
for you. Most countries have commonly used projections and when data is exchanged people will
follow the national trend.
Figure 56: The Mollweide Equal Area Cylindrical projection, for example, ensures that all mapped areas have
the same proportional relationship to the areas on the Earth.
Coordinate Reference System (CRS) in detail
With the help of coordinate reference systems (CRS) every place on the earth can be specified by
a set of three numbers, called coordinates. In general CRS can be divided into projected coordi-
nate reference systems (also called Cartesian or rectangular coordinate reference systems) and
geographic coordinate reference systems.
Geographic Coordinate Systems
The use of Geographic Coordinate Reference Systems is very common. They use degrees of latitude
and longitude and sometimes also a height value to describe a location on the earth’s surface. The
most popular is called WGS 84.
Lines of latitude run parallel to the equator and divide the earth into 180 equally spaced sections

from North to South (or South to North). The reference line for latitude is the equator and each
hemisphere is divided into ninety sections, each representing one degree of latitude. In the northern
hemisphere, degrees of latitude are measured from zero at the equator to ninety at the north pole.
In the southern hemisphere, degrees of latitude are measured from zero at the equator to ninety
degrees at the south pole. To simplify the digitisation of maps, degrees of latitude in the southern
hemisphere are often assigned negative values (0 to -90◦ ). Wherever you are on the earth’s surface,
the distance between the lines of latitude is the same (60 nautical miles). See Figure 57 for a pictorial
view.
Figure 57: Geographic coordinate system with lines of latitude parallel to the equator and lines of longitude
with the prime meridian through Greenwich.
Lines of longitude, on the other hand, do not stand up so well to the standard of uniformity. Lines
of longitude run perpendicular to the equator and converge at the poles. The reference line for lon-
gitude (the prime meridian) runs from the North pole to the South pole through Greenwich, England.
Subsequent lines of longitude are measured from zero to 180 degrees East or West of the prime
meridian. Note that values West of the prime meridian are assigned negative values for use in digital
mapping applications. See Figure 57 for a pictorial view.
At the equator, and only at the equator, the distance represented by one line of longitude is equal
to the distance represented by one degree of latitude. As you move towards the poles, the distance
between lines of longitude becomes progressively less, until, at the exact location of the pole, all
360◦ of longitude are represented by a single point that you could put your finger on (you probably
would want to wear gloves though). Using the geographic coordinate system, we have a grid of lines
dividing the earth into squares that cover approximately 12363.365 square kilometres at the equator

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
- a good start, but not very useful for determining the location of anything within that square.
To be truly useful, a map grid must be divided into small enough sections so that they can be used
to describe (with an acceptable level of accuracy) the location of a point on the map. To accomplish
this, degrees are divided into minutes (’) and seconds ("). There are sixty minutes in a degree, and
sixty seconds in a minute (3600 seconds in a degree). So, at the equator, one second of latitude or
longitude = 30.87624 meters.
Projected coordinate reference systems
A two-dimensional coordinate reference system is commonly defined by two axes. At right angles
to each other, they form a so called XY-plane (see Figure 58 on the left side). The horizontal axis
is normally labelled X, and the vertical axis is normally labelled Y. In a three-dimensional coordinate
reference system, another axis, normally labelled Z, is added. It is also at right angles to the X and Y
axes. The Z axis provides the third dimension of space (see Figure 58 on the right side). Every point
that is expressed in spherical coordinates can be expressed as an X Y Z coordinate.
Figure 58: Two and three dimensional coordinate reference systems
A projected coordinate reference system in the southern hemisphere (south of the equator) normally
has its origin on the equator at a specific Longitude. This means that the Y-values increase south-
wards and the X-values increase to the West. In the northern hemisphere (north of the equator) the
origin is also the equator at a specific Longitude. However, now the Y-values increase northwards
and the X-values increase to the East. In the following section, we describe a projected coordinate
reference system, called Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) often used for South Africa.

Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) CRS in detail
The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate reference system has its origin on the equator
at a specific Longitude. Now the Y-values increase Southwards and the X-values increase to the
West. The UTM CRS is a global map projection. This means, it is generally used all over the world.
But as already described in the section ’accuracy of map projections’ above, the larger the area (for
example South Africa) the more distortion of angular conformity, distance and area occur. To avoid
too much distortion, the world is divided into 60 equal zones that are all 6 degrees wide in longitude
from East to West. The UTM zones are numbered 1 to 60, starting at the international date line
(zone 1 at 180 degrees West longitude) and progressing East back to the international date line
(zone 60 at 180 degrees East longitude) as shown in Figure 59.
Figure 59: The Universal Transverse Mercator zones. For South Africa UTM zones 33S, 34S, 35S, and 36S
are used.
As you can see in Figure 59 and Figure 60, South Africa is covered by four UTM zones to minimize
distortion. The zones are called UTM 33S, UTM 34S, UTM 35S and UTM 36S. The S after the zone
means that the UTM zones are located south of the equator.
Say, for example, that we want to define a two-dimensional coordinate within the Area of Interest
(AOI) marked with a red cross in Figure 60. You can see, that the area is located within the UTM
zone 35S. This means, to minimize distortion and to get accurate analysis results, we should use
UTM zone 35S as the coordinate reference system.
The position of a coordinate in UTM south of the equator must be indicated with the zone number

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 60: UTM zones 33S, 34S, 35S, and 36S with their central longitudes (meridians) used to project South
Africa with high accuracy. The red cross shows an Area of Interest (AOI).
(35) and with its northing (y) value and easting (x) value in meters. The northing value is the
distance of the position from the equator in meters. The easting value is the distance from the
central meridian (longitude) of the used UTM zone. For UTM zone 35S it is 27 degrees East as
shown in Figure 60. Furthermore, because we are south of the equator and negative values are not
allowed in the UTM coordinate reference system, we have to add a so called false northing value of
10,000,000m to the northing (y) value and a false easting value of 500,000m to the easting (x) value.
This sounds difficult, so, we will do an example that shows you how to find the correct UTM 35S
coordinate for the Area of Interest.
The northing (y) value
The place we are looking for is 3,550,000 meters south of the equator, so the northing (y) value
gets a negative sign and is -3,550,000m. According to the UTM definitions we have to add a false
northing value of 10,000,000m. This means the northing (y) value of our coordinate is 6,450,000m
(-3,550,000m + 10,000,000m).
The easting (x) value
First we have to find the central meridian (longitude) for the UTM zone 35S. As we can see in
***71*** it is 27 degrees East. The place we are looking for is 85,000 meters West from the central
meridian. Just like the northing value, the easting (x) value gets a negative sign, giving a result of

-85,000m. According to the UTM definitions we have to add a false easting value of 500,000m. This
means the easting (x) value of our coordinate is 415,000m (-85,000m + 500,000m). Finally, we have
to add the zone number to the easting value to get the correct value.
As a result, the coordinate for our Point of Interest, projected in UTM zone 35S would be written
as: 35 415,000mE / 6,450,000mN. In some GIS, when the correct UTM zone 35S is defined and
the units are set to meters within the system, the coordinate could also simply appear as 415,000
6,450,000.
On-The-Fly Projection
As you can probably imagine, there might be a situation where the data you want to use in a GIS
are projected in different coordinate reference systems. For example, you might get a vector layer
showing the boundaries of South Africa projected in UTM 35S and another vector layer with point
information about rainfall provided in the geographic coordinate system WGS 84. In GIS these two
vector layers are placed in totally different areas of the map window, because they have different
projections.
To solve this problem, many GIS include a functionality called On-the-fly projection. It means, that
you can define a certain projection when you start the GIS and all layers that you then load, no
matter what coordinate reference system they have, will be automatically displayed in the projection
you defined. This functionality allows you to overlay layers within the map window of your GIS, even
though they may be in different reference systems.
The topic map projection is very complex and even professionals who have studied geography,
geodetics or any other GIS related science, often have problems with the correct definition of map
projections and coordinate reference systems. Usually when you work with GIS, you already have
projected data to start with. In most cases these data will be projected in a certain CRS, so you don’t
have to create a new CRS or even re project the data from one CRS to another. That said, it is always
useful to have an idea about what map projection and CRS means.
• Map projections portray the surface of the earth on a two-dimensional, flat piece of paper or
computer screen.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
• There are global map projections, but most map projections are created and optimized to
project smaller areas of the earth’s surface.
• Map projections are never absolutely accurate representations of the spherical earth. They
show distortions of angular conformity, distance and area. It is impossible to preserve all
these characteristics at the same time in a map projection.
• A Coordinate reference system (CRS) defines, with the help of coordinates, how the two-
dimensional, projected map is related to real locations on the earth.
• There are two different types of coordinate reference systems: Geographic Coordinate Sys-
tems and Projected Coordinate Systems.
• On the Fly projection is a functionality in GIS that allows us to overlay layers, even if they are
projected in different coordinate reference systems.
Now you try!
• Start QGIS and load two layers of the same area but with different projections and let your
pupils find the coordinates of several places on the two layers. You can show them that it is not
possible to overlay the two layers. Then define the coordinate reference system as Geographic/
WGS 84 inside the Project Properties Dialog and activate the check box ’enable On-the-fly
CRS transformation’. Load the two layers of the same area again and let your pupils see how
On-the-fly projection works.
• You can open the Project Properties Dialog in QGIS and show your pupils the many different
Coordinate Reference Systems so they get an idea of the complexity of this topic. With ’On-
the-fly CRS transformation’ enabled you can select different CRS to display the same layer in
different projections.
If you don’t have a computer available, you can show your pupils the principles of the three map
projection families. Get a globe and paper and demonstrate how cylindrical, conical and planar
projections work in general. With the help of a transparency sheet you can draw a two-dimensional
coordinate reference system showing X axes and Y axes. Then, let your pupils define coordinates (x
and y values) for different places.
Further reading
Books:

Wiley. (ISBN 9814126195)
• Galati, Stephen R. (2006): Geographic Information Systems Demystified. Artech House Inc.
(ISBN 158053533X)
Websites:
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/mapproj/mapproj_f.html
http://geology.isu.edu/geostac/Field_Exercise/topomaps/index.htm
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on working with map projections in QGIS.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at Map Production.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
8 Map Production
Objectives: Understanding of map production

for spatial data.
Keywords: Map production, map layout, scale

bar, north arrow, legend, map body,
map unit
Overview
Map production is the process of arranging map elements on a sheet of paper in a way that, even
without many words, the average person can understand what it is all about. Maps are usually pro-
duced for presentations and reports where the audience or reader is a politician, citizen or a learner
with no professional background in GIS. Because of this, a map has to be effective in communicating
spatial information. Common elements of a map are the title, map body, legend, north arrow, scale
bar, acknowledgement, and map border (see Figure 61).
Figure 61: Common map elements (labelled in red) are the title, map body, legend, north arrow, scale bar,
acknowledgement and map border.

8 MAP PRODUCTION
Other elements that might be added are e.g. a graticule, or name of the map projection (CRS).
Together, these elements help the map reader to interpret the information shown on the map. The
map body is, of course, the most important part of the map because it contains the map information.
The other elements support the communication process and help the map reader to orientate himself
and understand the map topic. For example, the title describes the subject matter and the legend
relates map symbols to the mapped data.
Map Title in detail
The map title is very important because it is usually the first thing a reader will look at on a map. It
can be compared with a title in a newspaper. It should be short but give the reader a first idea of what
the map is about.
Map Border in detail
The map border is a line that defines exactly the edges of the area shown on the map. When printing
a map with a graticule (which we describe further down), you often find the coordinate information of
the graticule lines along the border lines, as you can see in Figure 62.
Map Legend in detail
A map is a simplified representation of the real world and map symbols are used to represent real
objects. Without symbols, we wouldn’t understand maps. To ensure that a person can correctly read
a map, a map legend is used to provide a key to all the symbols used on the map.
Figure 62: Two maps from the same area, both with a water body in the background but with different themes,
map symbols and colours in the legend.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
It is like a dictionary that allows you to understand the meaning of what the map shows. A map legend
is usually shown as a little box in a corner of the map. It contains icons, each of which will represent
a type of feature. For example, a house icon will show you how to identify houses on the map (see
Figure 62).
You can also use different symbols and icons in your legend to show different themes. In Figure
62 you can see a map with a lake in light blue overlaid with contour lines and spot heights to show
information about the terrain in that area. On the right side you see the same area with the lake in the
background but this map is designed to show tourists the location of houses they can rent for their
holidays. It uses brighter colours, a house icon and more descriptive and inviting words in the legend.
North arrow in detail
A north arrow (sometimes also called a compass rose) is a figure displaying the main directions,
North, South, East and West. On a map it is used to indicate the direction of North. For example,
in GIS this means that a house that is located north from a lake can be found on top of the lake on a
map. The road in the east will then be to the right of the water body on the map, a river in the south
will be below the water body and if you are searching for a train station to the west of the lake you will
find it on the left side on the map.
Scale in detail
The scale of a map, is the value of a single unit of distance on the map, representing distance in the
real world. The values are shown in map units (meters, feet or degrees). The scale can be expressed
in several ways, for example, in words, as a ratio or as a graphical scale bar (see Figure 63).
Expressing a scale in words is a commonly used method and has the advantage of being easily
understood by most map users. You can see an example of a word based scale in Figure ??a below.
Another option is the representative fraction (RF) method, where both the map distance and the
ground distance in the real world are given in the same map units, as a ratio. For example, a RF value
1:25,000 means that any distance on the map is 1/25,000th of the real distance on the ground (see
Figure 63b below). The value 25,000 in the ratio is called the scale denominator. More experienced
users often prefer the representative fraction method, because it reduces confusion.
When a representative fraction expresses a very small ratio, for example 1:1000 000, it is called a
small scale map. On the other hand if the ratio is very large, for example a 1:50 000 map, it is called
a large scale map. It is handy to remember that a small scale map covers a large area, and a large
scale map covers a small area!
A scale expression as a graphic or bar scale is another basic method of expressing a scale. A
bar scale shows measured distances on the map. The equivalent distance in the real world is placed

8 MAP PRODUCTION
above as you can see in Figure 63c below.
Figure 63: A map scale can be expressed in words (a), as a ratio (b), or as graphic or bar scale (c).
Maps are usually produced at standard scales of, for example, 1:10 000, 1:25 000, 1:50 000, 1:100
000, 1:250 000, 1:500 000. What does this mean to the map reader? It means that if you multiply
the distance measured on the map by the scale denominator, you will know the distance in the real
world.
For example, if we want to measure a distance of 100mm on a map with a scale of 1:25,000 we
calculate the real world distance like this:
100mm x 25,000 = 2,500,000 mm
This means that 100mm on the map is equivalent to 2,500,000mm (250m) in the real word.
Figure 64: Maps showing an area in two different scales. The map scale on the left is 1:25,000. The map
scale on the right is 1:50,000.
Another interesting aspect of a map scale, is that the lower the map scale, the more detailed the
feature information in the map will be. In Figure 64, you can see an example of this. Both maps are
the same size but have a different scale. The image on the left side shows more details, for example
the houses south-west of the water body can be clearly identified as separate squares. In the image

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
on the right you can only see a black clump of rectangles and you are not able to see each house
clearly.
Acknowledgment in detail
In the acknowledgment area of a map it is possible to add text with important information. For example
information about the quality of the used data can be useful to give the reader an idea about details
such as how, by whom and when a map was created. If you look at a topographical map of your
town, it would be useful to know when the map was created and who did it. If the map is already 50
years old, you will probably find a lot of houses and roads that no longer exist or maybe never even
existed. If you know that the map was created by an official institution, you could contact them and
ask if they have a more current version of that map with updated information.
Graticule in detail
A graticule is a network of lines overlain on a map to make spatial orientation easier for the reader.
The lines can be used as a reference. As an example, the lines of a graticule can represent the
earth’s parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude. When you want to refer to a special area on
a map during your presentation or in a report you could say: ’the houses close to latitude 26.04 /
longitude -32.11 are often exposed to flooding during January and February’ (see Figure 65).
Figure 65: Graticules (red lines) representing the Earth’s parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude. The
latitude and longitude values on the map border can be used for better orientation on the map.

8 MAP PRODUCTION
Name of the map projection in detail
A map projection tries to represent the 3-dimensional Earth with all its features like houses, roads
or lakes on a flat sheet of paper. This is very difficult as you can imagine, and even after hundreds
of years there is no single projection that is able to represent the Earth perfectly for any area in the
world. Every projection has advantages and disadvantages. To be able to create maps as precisely
as possible, people have studied, modified, and produced many different kinds of projections. In the
end almost every country has developed its own map projection with the goal of improving the map
accuracy for their territorial area (see Figure 66).
Figure 66: The world in different projections. A Mollweide Equal Area projection left, a Plate Carree Equidistant
Cylindrical projection on the right.
With this in mind, we can now understand why it makes sense to add the name of the projection on
a map. It allows the reader to see quickly, if one map can be compared with another. For example,
features on a map in a so-called Equal Area projection appear very different to features projected in
a Cylindrical Equidistant projection (see Figure 66).
Map projection is a very complex topic and we cannot cover it completely here. You may want to take
a look at our previous topic: Coordinate Reference Systems if you want to know more about it.
It is sometimes difficult to create a map that is easy to understand and well laid out whilst still showing
and explaining all the information that the reader needs to know. To achieve this, you need to create
an ideal arrangement and composition of all the map elements. You should concentrate on what
story you want to tell with your map and how the elements, such as the legend, scale bar and
acknowledgements should be ordered. By doing this, you will have a well designed and educational
map, that people would like to look at and be able to understand.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
• Map production means arranging map elements on a sheet of paper.

• Map elements are the title, map body, map border, legend, scale, north arrow and the acknowl-
edgement.
• Scale represents the ratio of a distance on the map to the actual distance in the real world.
• Scale is displayed in map units (meters, feet or degrees)
• A legend explains all the symbols on a map.
• A map should explain complex information as simply as possible.
• Maps are usually always displayed ’North up’.
Now you try!
• Load some vector layers in your GIS for your local area. See if your learners can identify
examples of different types of legend elements such as road types or buildings. Create a list of
legend elements and define what the icons should look like, so a reader can most easily figure
out their meaning in the map.
• Create a map layout with your learners on a sheet of paper. Decide on the title of the map,
what GIS layers you want to show and what colours and icons to have on the map. Use the
techniques you learned in Topics 2 and 3 to adjust the symbology accordingly. When you have
a template, open the QGIS Map Composer and try to arrange a map layout as planned.
If you don’t have a computer available, you can use any topographical map and discuss the map
design with your learners. Figure out if they understand what the map wants to tell. What can be
improved? How accurately does the map represent the history of the area? How would a map from
100 years ago differ from the same map today?
Further reading
Books:

8 MAP PRODUCTION
Wiley. (ISBN 9814126195)
Websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(map)
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/mapproj/mapproj.html
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on map production provided in QGIS.
What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at vector analysis to see how we can use a GIS
for more than just making good looking maps!

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
9 Vector Spatial Analysis (Buffers)
Objectives: Understanding the use of buffering

in vector spatial analysis.
Keywords: Vector, buffer zone, spatial analy-

sis, buffer distance, dissolve bound-
ary, outward and inward buffer, mul-
tiple buffer
Overview
Spatial analysis uses spatial information to extract new and additional meaning from GIS data.
Usually spatial analysis is carried out using a GIS Application. GIS Applications normally have spatial
analysis tools for feature statistics (e.g. how many vertices make up this polyline?) or geoprocessing
such as feature buffering. The types of spatial analysis that are used vary according to subject
areas. People working in water management and research (hydrology) will most likely be interested
in analysing terrain and modelling water as it moves across it. In wildlife management users are
interested in analytical functions that deal with wildlife point locations and their relationship to the
environment. In this topic we will discuss buffering as an example of a useful spatial analysis that can
be carried out with vector data.
Buffering in detail
Buffering usually creates two areas: one area that is within a specified distance to selected real
world features and the other area that is beyond. The area that is within the specified distance is
called the buffer zone.
A buffer zone is any area that serves the purpose of keeping real world features distant from one
another. Buffer zones are often set up to protect the environment, protect residential and commercial
zones from industrial accidents or natural disasters, or to prevent violence. Common types of buffer
zones may be greenbelts between residential and commercial areas, border zones between countries
(see Figure 67), noise protection zones around airports, or pollution protection zones along rivers.

9 VECTOR SPATIAL ANALYSIS (BUFFERS)
Figure 67: The border between the United States of America and Mexico is separated by a buffer zone. (Photo
taken by SGT Jim Greenhill 2006).
In a GIS Application, buffer zones are always represented as vector polygons enclosing other
polygon, line or point features (see Figures 68a-c).
Figure 68: Buffering vector points, polylines and polygons
(a) A buffer zone around vector (b) A buffer zone around vector poly- (c) A buffer zone around vector poly-
points. lines. gons
Variations in buffering
There are several variations in buffering. The buffer distance or buffer size can vary according to
numerical values provided in the vector layer attribute table for each feature. The numerical values

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
have to be defined in map units according to the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) used with the
data. For example, the width of a buffer zone along the banks of a river can vary depending on the
intensity of the adjacent land use. For intensive cultivation the buffer distance may be bigger than for
organic farming (see Figure 69 and Table 11).
Figure 69: Buffering rivers with different buffer distances.
Table 11: Attribute table with different buffer distances to rivers based on information about the adjacent land
use.
River Adjacent land use Buffer distance (meters)

Breede river Intensive vegetable cultivation 100
Komati Intensive cotton cultivation 150
Oranje Organic farming 50
Telle river Organic farming 50
Buffers around polyline features, such as rivers or roads, do not have to be on both sides of the lines.
They can be on either the left side or the right side of the line feature. In these cases the left or right
side is determined by the direction from the starting point to the end point of line during digitising.
Multiple buffer zones
A feature can also have more than one buffer zone. A nuclear power plant may be buffered with dis-
tances of 10, 15, 25 and 30 km, thus forming multiple rings around the plant as part of an evacuation
plan (see Figure 70).

Figure 70: Buffering a point feature with distances of 10, 15, 25 and 30 km.
Buffering with intact or dissolved boundaries
Buffer zones often have dissolved boundaries so that there are no overlapping areas between the
buffer zones. In some cases though, it may also be useful for boundaries of buffer zones to remain
intact, so that each buffer zone is a separate polygon and you can identify the overlapping areas (see
Figure 71).
Figure 71: Buffer zones with dissolved (left) and with intact boundaries (right) showing overlapping areas.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Buffering outward and inward
Buffer zones around polygon features are usually extended outward from a polygon boundary but
it is also possible to create a buffer zone inward from a polygon boundary. Say, for example, the
Department of Tourism wants to plan a new road around Robben Island and environmental laws
require that the road is at least 200 meters inward from the coast line. They could use an inward
buffer to find the 200m line inland and then plan their road not to go beyond that line.
Most GIS Applications offer buffer creation as an analysis tool, but the options for creating buffers
can vary. For example, not all GIS Applications allow you to buffer on either the left side or the right
side of a line feature, to dissolve the boundaries of buffer zones or to buffer inward from a polygon
boundary.
A buffer distance always has to be defined as a whole number (integer) or a decimal number
(floating point value). This value is defined in map units (meters, feet, decimal degrees) according
to the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) of the vector layer.
More spatial analysis tools
Buffering is a an important and often used spatial analysis tool but there are many others that can be
used in a GIS and explored by the user.
Figure 72: Spatial overlay with two input vector layers (a_input = rectangle, b_input = circle). The resulting
vector layer is displayed green.
Spatial overlay is a process that allows you to identify the relationships between two polygon features
that share all or part of the same area. The output vector layer is a combination of the input features
information (see Figure 72). Typical spatial overlay examples are:
• Intersection: The output layer contains all areas where both layers overlap (intersect).

• Union: the output layer contains all areas of the two input layers combined.
• Symmetrical difference: The output layer contains all areas of the input layers except those
areas where the two layers overlap (intersect).
• Difference: The output layer contains all areas of the first input layer that do not overlap (inter-
sect) with the second input layer.
• Buffer zones describe areas around real world features.

• Buffer zones are always vector polygons.
• A feature can have multiple buffer zones.
• The size of a buffer zone is defined by a buffer distance.
• A buffer distance has to be an integer or floating point value.
• A buffer distance can be different for each feature within a vector layer.
• Polygons can be buffered inward or outward from the polygon boundary.
• Buffer zones can be created with intact or dissolved boundaries.
• Besides buffering, a GIS usually provides a variety of vector analysis tools to solve spatial tasks.
Now you try!
• Because of dramatic traffic increase, the town planners want to widen the main road and add a
second lane. Create a buffer around the road to find properties that fall within the buffer zone
(see Figure 73).
• For controlling protesting groups, the police want to establish a neutral zone to keep protesters
at least 100 meters from a building. Create a buffer around a building and colour it so that event
planners can see where the buffer area is.
• A truck factory plans to expand. The siting criteria stipulate that a potential site must be within 1
km of a heavy-duty road. Create a buffer along a main road so that you can see where potential
sites are.
• Imagine that the city wants to introduce a law stipulating that no bottle stores may be within a
1000 meter buffer zone of a school or a church. Create a 1km buffer around your school and
then go and see if there would be any bottle stores too close to your school.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
Figure 73: Buffer zone (green) around a roads map (brown). You can see which houses fall within the buffer
zone, so now you could contact the owner and talk to him about the situation.
If you don’t have a computer available, you can use a toposheet and a compass to create buffer
zones around buildings. Make small pencil marks at equal distance all along your feature using the
compass, then connect the marks using a ruler!
Further reading
Books:
• Galati, Stephen R. (2006): Geographic Information Systems Demystified. Artech House Inc.
(ISBN 158053533X)

Wiley. (ISBN 9814126195)
Websites:
http://www.manifold.net/doc/transform_border_buffers.htm
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on analysing vector data in QGIS.

What’s next?
In the section that follows we will take a closer look at interpolation as an example of spatial analysis
you can do with raster data.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
10 Spatial Analysis (Interpolation)
Objectives: Understanding of interpolation as

part of spatial analysis.
Keywords: Point data, interpolation method, In-

verse Distance Weighted, Triangu-
lated Irregular Network
Overview
Spatial analysis is the process of manipulating spatial information to extract new information and
meaning from the original data. Usually spatial analysis is carried out with a Geographic Information
System (GIS). A GIS usually provides spatial analysis tools for calculating feature statistics and car-
rying out geoprocessing activities as data interpolation. In hydrology, users will likely emphasize the
importance of terrain analysis and hydrological modelling (modelling the movement of water over and
in the earth). In wildlife management, users are interested in analytical functions dealing with wildlife
point locations and their relationship to the environment. Each user will have different things they are
interested in depending on the kind of work they do.
Spatial interpolation in detail
Figure 74: Temperature map interpolated from South African Weather Stations.
Spatial interpolation is the process of using points with known values to estimate values at other
unknown points. For example, to make a precipitation (rainfall) map for your country, you will not

10 SPATIAL ANALYSIS (INTERPOLATION)
find enough evenly spread weather stations to cover the entire region. Spatial interpolation can
estimate the temperatures at locations without recorded data by using known temperature readings at
nearby weather stations (see Figure 74). This type of interpolated surface is often called a statistical
surface. Elevation data, precipitation, snow accumulation, water table and population density are
other types of data that can be computed using interpolation.
Because of high cost and limited resources, data collection is usually conducted only in a limited
number of selected point locations. In GIS, spatial interpolation of these points can be applied to
create a raster surface with estimates made for all raster cells.
In order to generate a continuous map, for example, a digital elevation map from elevation points
measured with a GPS device, a suitable interpolation method has to be used to optimally estimate
the values at those locations where no samples or measurements were taken. The results of the
interpolation analysis can then be used for analyses that cover the whole area and for modelling.
There are many interpolation methods. In this introduction we will present two widely used interpola-
tion methods called Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) and Triangulated Irregular Networks (TIN).
If you are looking for additional interpolation methods, please refer to the further reading section at
the end of this topic.
Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW)
In the IDW interpolation method, the sample points are weighted during interpolation such that the
influence of one point relative to another declines with distance from the unknown point you want to
create (see Figure 75).
Figure 75: Inverse Distance Weighted interpolation based on weighted sample point distance (left). Interpo-
lated IDW surface from elevation vector points (right). Image Source: Mitas, L., Mitasova, H. (1999).
Weighting is assigned to sample points through the use of a weighting coefficient that controls how the
weighting influence will drop off as the distance from new point increases. The greater the weighting
coefficient, the less the effect points will have if they are far from the unknown point during the
interpolation process. As the coefficient increases, the value of the unknown point approaches the

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
value of the nearest observational point.
It is important to notice that the IDW interpolation method also has some disadvantages: The quality
of the interpolation result can decrease, if the distribution of sample data points is uneven. Fur-
thermore, maximum and minimum values in the interpolated surface can only occur at sample data
points. This often results in small peaks and pits around the sample data points as shown in Figure
75.
In GIS, interpolation results are usually shown as a 2 dimensional raster layer. In Figure 76, you can
see a typical IDW interpolation result, based on elevation sample points collected in the field with a
GPS device.
Figure 76: IDW interpolation result from irregularly collected elevation sample points (shown as black crosses).
Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN)
TIN interpolation is another popular tool in GIS. A common TIN algorithm is called Delaunay trian-
gulation. It tries to create a surface formed by triangles of nearest neighbour points. To do this,
circumcircles around selected sample points are created and their intersections are connected to a
network of non overlapping and as compact as possible triangles (see Figure 77).
The main disadvantage of the TIN interpolation is that the surfaces are not smooth and may give
a jagged appearance. This is caused by discontinuous slopes at the triangle edges and sample
data points. In addition, triangulation is generally not suitable for extrapolation beyond the area with
collected sample data points (see Figure 78).

Figure 77: Delaunay triangulation with circumcircles around the red sample data. The resulting interpolated
TIN surface created from elevation vector points is shown on the right. Image Source: Mitas, L., Mitasova, H.
(1999).
Figure 78: Delaunay TIN interpolation result from irregularly collected rainfall sample points (blue circles).

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
It is important to remember that there is no single interpolation method that can be applied to all
situations. Some are more exact and useful than others but take longer to calculate. They all have
advantages and disadvantages. In practice, selection of a particular interpolation method should
depend upon the sample data, the type of surfaces to be generated and tolerance of estimation
errors. Generally, a three step procedure is recommended:
1. Evaluate the sample data. Do this to get an idea on how data are distributed in the area, as this
may provide hints on which interpolation method to use.
2. Apply an interpolation method which is most suitable to both the sample data and the study
objectives. When you are in doubt, try several methods, if available.
3. Compare the results and find the best result and the most suitable method. This may look like
a time consuming process at the beginning. However, as you gain experience and knowledge
of different interpolation methods, the time required for generating the most suitable surface will
be greatly reduced.
Other interpolation methods
Although we concentrated on IDW and TIN interpolation methods in this worksheet, there are more
spatial interpolation methods provided in GIS, such as Regularized Splines with Tension (RST), Krig-
ing or Trend Surface interpolation. See the additional reading section below for a web link.
• Interpolation uses vector points with known values to estimate values at unknown locations to
create a raster surface covering an entire area.
• The interpolation result is typically a raster layer.
• It is important to find a suitable interpolation method to optimally estimate values for unknown
locations.
• IDW interpolation gives weights to sample points, such that the influence of one point on
another declines with distance from the new point being estimated.
• TIN interpolation uses sample points to create a surface formed by triangles based on nearest
neighbour point information.

Now you try!
• The Department of Agriculture plans to cultivate new land in your area but apart from the char-
acter of the soils, they want to know if the rainfall is sufficient for a good harvest. All the
information they have available comes from a few weather stations around the area. Create an
interpolated surface with your learners that shows which areas are likely to receive the highest
rainfall.
• The tourist office wants to publish information about the weather conditions in January and
February. They have temperature, rainfall and wind strength data and ask you to interpolate
their data to estimate places where tourists will probably have optimal weather conditions with
mild temperatures, no rainfall and little wind strength. Can you identify the areas in your region
that meet these criteria?
If you don’t have a computer available, you can use a toposheet and a ruler to estimate elevation
values between contour lines or rainfall values between fictional weather stations. For example, if
rainfall at weather station A is 50 mm per month and at weather station B it is 90 mm, you can
estimate, that the rainfall at half the distance between weather station A and B is 70 mm.
Further reading
Books:
Wiley. (ISBN 9814126195)
• Mitas, L., Mitasova, H. (1999): Spatial Interpolation. In: P.Longley, M.F. Goodchild, D.J.
Maguire, D.W.Rhind (Eds.), Geographical Information Systems: Principles, Techniques, Man-
agement and Applications, Wiley.
Websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpolation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaunay_triangulation
http://www.agt.bme.hu/public_e/funcint/funcint.html
The QGIS User Guide also has more detailed information on interpolation tools provided in QGIS.

GIS FOR EDUCATORS
What’s next?
This is the final worksheet in this series. We encourage you to explore QGIS and use the QGIS
manual to discover all the other things you can do with GIS software!

Authors and Contributors
Tim Sutton - Editor & Lead Author

Tim Sutton is a developer and project steering committee member
of the Quantum GIS project. He is passionate about seeing GIS
being Freely available to everyone. Tim is also a founding member
of Linfiniti Consulting CC. - a small business set up with the goal of
helping people to learn and use open source GIS software.
Web: http://linfiniti.com , Email: tim@linfiniti.com
Otto Dassau - Assistant Author

Otto Dassau is the documentation maintainer and project steering
committee member of the Quantum GIS project. Otto has consider-
able experience in using and training people to use Free and Open
Source GIS software.
Web: http://gbd-consult.de , Email: dassau@gbd-consult.de
Marcelle Sutton - Project Manager

Marcelle Sutton studied english and drama and is a qualified
teacher. Marcelle is also a founding member of Linfiniti Consulting
CC. - a small business set up with the goal of helping people to learn
and use open source GIS software.
Web: http://linfiniti.com , Email: marcelle@linfiniti.com
Lerato Nsibande
Lerato is a grade 12 scholar living in Pretoria. Lerato learns Geog-
raphy at school and has enjoyed learning GIS with us!
Sibongile Mthombeni
Sibongile lives near Johannesburg with her young daughter. Her
goal is to continue her studies and become a nurse. Working on this
project was the first time Sibongile used a computer.
GIS FOR EDUCATORS
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Version 1.2, November 2002
Copyright c 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing
it is not allowed.
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GIS FOR EDUCATORS
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GIS FOR EDUCATORS
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A Gentle Introduction to GIS

Brought to you with Quantum GIS, a Free and Open Source

T. Sutton, O. Dassau, M. Sutton

Tim Sutton, April 2009

A word from the editor iii

3 Vector Attribute Data 21

A Gentle Introduction to GIS v

7 Coordinate Reference Systems 62

A Gentle Introduction to GIS vi

Name of the map projection in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

9 Vector Spatial Analysis (Buffers) 83

10 Spatial Analysis (Interpolation) 91

Authors and Contributors 98

GNU Free Documentation License 99

A Gentle Introduction to GIS vii

Objectives: Understanding what GIS is and

Keywords: GIS, Computer, Maps, Data, Infor-

Table 1: Notes of date and place of residence of patients

Longitude Latitude Disease Date

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 1

More about GIS

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 2

What is GIS Software / a GIS Application?

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 3

Figure 4: A map view with several layers being added to it

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 4

Getting a GIS Application for your own computer(s)

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 5

Longitude Latitude Disease Date

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 6

What have we learned?

Let’s wrap up what we covered in this worksheet:

• A GIS is a system of computer hardware, computer software and geographical data.

Now you try!

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 7

Something to think about

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 8

Objectives: Understanding of vector data mod-

Keywords: Vector, Point, Polyline, Polygon,

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 9

Figure 10: Vector point, polyline and polygon geometries

Point features in detail

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 10

Polyline features in detail

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 11

Polygon features in detail

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 12

Vector data in layers

Editing vector data

Scale and vector data

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 13

Figure 13: Maps with different scales

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 14

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 15

What can we do with vector data in a GIS?

Common problems with vector data

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 16

What have we learned?

Let’s wrap up what we covered in this worksheet:

• Vector data is used to represent real world features in a GIS.

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 17

A Gentle Introduction to GIS 18

Now you try!